


Rampage

by primaryglitch



Category: DARLING In The FRANXX (Anime)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Multi, Other, but certain chapters will be heavy in other ships and focus on other perspectives, klaxosaur hiro, main ship is hirotwo, no explicit sexual content but its implied, warning for such with be in notes for chapter that contain it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-19
Updated: 2020-02-13
Packaged: 2020-03-26 10:48:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 12
Words: 87,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19004221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/primaryglitch/pseuds/primaryglitch
Summary: Finally, Hiro had gotten Zero-Two back. However, he cannot help but feel distant from her. Even with her blood, Zero-Two had to bear the weight of being the only one of her unique species. As Hiro desires to become closer to Zero-Two, an impulsive decision in battle makes him forfeit most of his humanity. The ability he gains chances everything, from how squad 13 pilots their franxx to his and Zero-Two's relationship with the other parasites. Together, squad 13 has to learn how to deal with Hiro's new abilities and appearance along with the chances they bring. Meanwhile, APE takes further interest in Hiro and Zero-Two, willing to manipulate them for their cause. Looming over their shoulders, change awaits and all squad 13 can hope is to live through it.





	1. The Calm before the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hiro and Zero-two continue to rebuild their relationship and redefine what they are together. However, they are interpreted by an unexpected visitor and a daunting task

Hiro’s heart blossomed with warmth while watching Zero-two, it was as if every second he spent with her he fell more in love. Being around her, life seemed so much more colorful. When they had been separated once again, he felt like a part of himself was missing. He hadn’t realized how much he had grown with her at his side, so that when she left he felt a hollowness inside his heart. Having her back, he felt like the skies were theirs for the taking.

He wasn’t foolish enough to think things could go back to the way they had been- he didn’t want them to, in fact. Zero-two had been suffering without knowing how to tell anyone. She had isolated herself within her mind and convinced herself that it had to be that way, lashing out at both herself and others in pain and anger. One the other hand, he had felt confused and rejected with how the girl he had come to love was drifting away, becoming more and more distance. He felt helpless, seeing her pain yet not knowing the cause, let alone how to help. They both had been suffering, even worse was that a great deal of it was at the other’s hands. But now, they had time. They could talk, they could work this out. He wanted to be with Zero-two and she wanted to be with him. It wasn’t just their distant memories that brought them together. Even before they knew who they truly were to each other, they had cared about each other. So much had happened, so much had changed but they had each other. Together, they could make a home for themselves in a world that wasn’t yet their own. 

He was grateful for this respite from fighting, allowing them the time they needed to discuss what had happened and confide in each other without any rush. They had the peace they needed to lay out the foundation to rebuild what they had lost sight of. He was even more grateful that it gave them time to just enjoy each other’s presence. They spent nearly every night together, Hiro all but moving into her room. The bed could be cramped, but neither of them minded the excuse to be close. Most nights Zero-two would ask him to tell her about his past while drawing sprawled out on the floor, both for her picture book and of the memories he would describe. Occasionally, she would mention her past but Hiro never pushed her to speak more than she gave. She never when beyond a few sentences, but it was enough for Hiro to draw a bleak picture in his mind of how the years had treated her. It made him come to realize again that she needs him as much as he needs her.

Tonight, instead of asking about his time in the garden, she asked about their time together- how it had felt meeting her, being with her, and piloting with her before he remembered her. She hadn’t directly asked, but he knew what she was trying to decipher. She wanted to know how he came to love her, why he had. When he confessed to her in the garden, she had not taken his words to heart. She assumed he had been confused, not knowing what he was saying or feeling. But, he had come back to her. With what Zero-two had said when he reached out to her in Strelitzia, she had thought he would have left for good, that he should have left- that what she had done was unforgivable and that she only was a monster, that she could never be anything else. Hiro knew that his words had only reinforced this and that while his anger had been justified he never would fully forgive himself for his harsh words.

So he would reassure her that his love was true, it was the least he could do. He took her hand and led her to the bed, each of them climbing and turning to face each other. He wanted her to look at him, see that he was genuine.

“You gave me a second chance at life, I thought that after failing, again and again, to connect to Naomi that my life was over. That I had nothing left to live for and nowhere to go. But when I met you, you enchanted me. Even before I saw you in Strelitzia, I thought you were so incredibly strong. You had said you were always alone, yet you stood tall. Despite your struggles, you hadn’t given in. That even without a partner, you were lively- that somehow, you had found a reason to live beyond what we had been told. When you offered your hand to me, I felt alive. ”

“When I met you again in Strelitzia, you captured my eyes once more. You were willing to fight alone, that even without your partner you would continue on. Yet, it broke my heart as well. You had to pilot, that you were willing to die piloting. At that moment, I felt you were the same as me, that you only lived to be in a franxx. As you turned to leave, You were stronger than I could ever hope to be, but if I could help, if I could be of use to you in any way, then maybe I wouldn't be so weak. I didn’t know if I could pilot a franxx, but your words came back to me- that you could draw out my ability. So I trusted you, the girl I barely even knew. I trusted you more than I had anymore else- more than Noami, Ichigo, Goro. I put my life in your hands, and with that magical kiss, I knew I was yours. I wanted to be yours.”

“I was disappointed that I couldn't remember what had happened between us within Strelitzia, but I remembered the feeling. The rush of emotions that had become so foreign to me mixed with something completely new. With you, connected to you, I felt hope and an emotion at the time I couldn’t describe. When you came back to the dorms, I was nervous when you were at my side, but you also brought warmth to my heart that none of the other parasites could bring. Even after Mitsuru, I trusted you. I wanted you, all of you. I didn’t want to miss a thing. Your power and pride that made Strelitzia as strong as she is, your playfulness and teasing that made my heart race, your determination and will to fight for anything you desired...and your passion that made everything about me want to be dragged into you. I began to feel something that had been lying dormant in me, a feeling I didn’t know was possible, and it grew and grew the longer I stayed with you”

“As that tumor on my chest grew, so did my determination to ride with you. It’s effects echoed through my entire being, straining and paining me further than ever before. But I thought that if this is what it takes to ride with you then I would bear any pain for that. During our ride, I decided I would never leave you alone. As your partner, I would be there for you- no, that I would be there for you regardless of what I was to you. I would be your wings, delivering you to your goals and dreams even if it tore me apart.”

“I felt alive on the battlefield with you, but I treasured how you made me feel off it even more. I felt like I had a life worth living for the sole purpose of bringing alive, not for Papa or the others. I wanted to keep you with me, I wanted to become close. This desire to know you better and keep you close, to know the truths of your heart, mad me I realize I loved you. Having klaxosaur blood did not scare me, it was part of you who are. So when I confessed to you, I hoped you would see the passion you awoke in me. “

“I never hated you. Not when you trying to suck me dry, not when you hurt our squad. I had been scared and worried and disappointed, but I did not hate you. I still felt that my place was at your side, as partners and as something so much more special. It was our job to guide the other when they strayed. I wanted to help, I wanted to fix things. I loved you, Zero-two, I loved you for a long time. As the girl who showed me that there were others fighting as I was and as you are now, showing me so much about life and love.”

Zero-two was silent at first, closing her eyes to taking in what Hiro had said. As time passed, he worried he had said something wrong, anxiety started to eat at him. He was just about to speak, apologize when Zero-two took both his hands in hers. When they met eyes, hers were just as deep and colorful as he always remembered- but they told him a story, one that Zero-two was getting ready to say. She squeezed his hands before she began to speak.

“Darling, I loved you too before but it scared me. I hid from myself and I hid from you. At first, it was just fun and nice being with you, talking with you, teasing you, touching you. But, you were devoted to me in a way that my other stamen hadn’t been. You were with me outside of Strelitzia not out of obligation but because you wanted to and you wanted to make me feel comfortable and happy. You were kind and caring in a way...in a way that I had only experienced in a long time. It didn’t take long for my feeling towards you something else.. I wanted to be the only one touching you, I wanted you to look at me, I wanted to be on your mind and in your heart.”

“It felt like I was betraying my original Darling. I had done these things to a degree with my past stamen, but never for as long and they never got meaningful for me- it was just practice for when I found my darling. But with you, it was no longer practice. I couldn’t fight what I was feeling so, so I hoped that you were him. I pretended that you were him. I repeated phrases we had said hoping you would pick up, I tried to remind you of what we had done, I tried to remind you of my picture book and then tried to find it to jolt your memory. My heart was so confused, my mind told me that you weren’t him but you acted so much like him. It hurt so badly to be with you, so I decided I would only be with you in Strelitzia, the one place you couldn’t hurt me. The place where I had always been in control, sucking the life from my stamens.”

“I wasn’t in control of my body anymore, either. I was going through changes I didn’t want to, changes that would make me more monstrous. Changes that would drive you away. My disguise was failing and it only reminded me what I hated most about myself. What made me alone in this word. He, and only him, had accepted me but my darling wasn’t there. When you told me you didn’t care about my klaxosaur blood, it felt like a cruel parody. I couldn’t stand it and I needed to become human sooner rather than later. So I tried to suck you dry, I...I tried to kill you, Darling.”

“When your friends allowed me to see you and you weren’t there, I didn’t listen. I didn’t give them a chance to speak. I was so angry and full of hate, the thought ruminating in my head that the one person who accepted me had abandoned me because of how I am. And then we finally saw each other, those thoughts rang true. I was a monster, and that’s all I ever would be. I would always be alone, I deserved to be alone. My solitude was my punishment.”

Zero-two’s eyes were screwed shut, holding back tears. Her hands were shaking, clutching his tightly. He had stayed quiet as she spoke, feeling like she needed to get it out. He didn’t want her to hide in her mind anymore, he wanted to be able to be let in and help. He pulled on of his hands for her and reached out, cupping the back of her head and guiding him to his chest. There, she nuzzled in, hiding the few tears that escaped. He wrapped his other hand around her back and pet her hair. “Zero-two,” he said, his voice soft and full of love, “you’ll never be alone anymore. I will always be here for you, your blood could never drive me away.

She let out a choked out cry at his words and wrapped her hands around his waist, bringing them closer. They stayed like that for a while after Zero-two’s tears had dried, neither wanting to lose contact. However, the position they were in wasn’t the most comfortable. Hiro couldn’t hold back a sigh when Zero-two let go and sat back up, but she then turned around and laid her head on his lap. Hiro startled a little, surprised, and that made her laugh. Despite how physical Zero-two tended to be, it still made his heart race. It was a wonderful sound to Hiro, he never wanted to hear her cry but her laugh was music to his eyes. They both settled, now more comfortable. Hiro relaxed with his back against the wall and Zero-two seemed like she would have stayed there forever if possible. The sun began to hang lower in the sky as time passed, neither of them paying mind to the day faded to night.

Hiro couldn’t help smiled down at Zero-Two as he cradled her head in his lap. Even with her eyes closed, her soft purrs from his fingers raking through her hair gave away that she was awake. Finding out that she loved to have her scalp around her horns scrubbed was wonderful. She seemed to be able to easily find all of his special spots- how she gently wrapped her arm around his neck, how to rack her nails up his ribcage to make him flustered. It was nice to know one of Zero-Two’s special spots, as insignificant as it might be it was important to him. 

Looking down at her, the soft candlelight danced beautifully on Zero-Two’s features. His eyes were drawn to the bright red markings underneath her eyes, a reminder that she wasn’t human. To him, they were simply beautiful. Her klaxosaur blood was part of Zero-two, and he loved her fully. However, thinking about her heritage brought to memory what Doctor Franxx had said before he had gotten Zero-Two back. But seeing her like this, he couldn't disagree more. She did not belong alone, they belonged together. Even with her klaxosaur blood, even if she was a beast, he couldn’t love her more. He only wished he could do more than just reassure her. She was at peace at his side, but he could tell that her loneliness still lingered. She was the only one of her kind, and while he was changing it was so slow and only barely. It was generous to call the bumps on his head horns. She had given a new chance at life to be the wings upon her back. Their soul and heart were interwoven as once, they could fly. The scar on his chest was a constant reminder of their bond, yet they were still separated by their blood. He wished he could change fast, change more- be more like her so she would never feel alone. 

“Darling?” her soft tone snapped Hiro out of his thoughts, “What’s wrong?”. Concern flooded her expression, her borrowed slightly furrowed. Hiro realized that while lost in his mind, his expression had turned slightly sour. He had always stopped petting Zero-two, which must have been the reason she caught him with his distance expression. His face heated up slightly, embarrassed at his carelessness.

“Sorry, I’m Just thinking,” Hiro said, attempting to flashing a reassuring smile. Without asking, he could feel that she saw right through him. She knew him too well not to.

“What are you thinking about Darling?”

“Oh, I was just…” Hiro couldn’t think of a good lie and didn’t know how to explain his thoughts either. SO he went with the truth, just not all of it. “I was just thinking about you, about us. Zero-Two, you really are something special, someone who is very precious to me”

A broad smile breaks out over Zero-Two’s face, one so joyful that her eyes scrunch. When her eyes opened, they were bright and full of light. “If I’m special, then that makes you an odd one Darling. But, it makes me very happy to hear you say that”

“I’ve always been told I was odd, but that’s what led me to you,” Hiro chucked. “I love you, Zero-Two.

“I love you too, Darling.” She reached up to brush back Hiro’s bangs and he welcomed the familiar touch. She rubbed her thumbs over the two little blue hinted nub beginning to grow from his forehead.

Hiro reached up for her hand and gently pressed it down flat so her palm was flat against his forehead. Zero-Two makes a little questioning sound at the action, confused but not displeased. Realizing what he’s done, Hiro flushed, this thoughtlessness betraying him once again. “O-Oh, I just like being closer to you, these are proof of my connection to you,” Hiro backtracked.

Zero-Two responded by reaching up with her free hand and snaking it up his shirt to touch his chest, exactly where his scar was over his heat. Hiro’s blush deepens at the touch, all the physical contact starting to really get to him. Zero-Two couldn’t help but smile at her adorable Darling. Even after devoting themselves entirely to each other, he still got flustered over certain small touches. Some things never change.“You're so cute, Darling. Sweet too, like honey”

“C-cute!” Hiro exclaimed, surprised and embarrassed by the sudden attention, his mind not keeping up fast enough to even process the rest of her tease. Zero-Two broke out into giggles from Hiro’s reaction and it was contagious, Hiro couldn’t help but join her. After a few seconds, they both fell into a comfortable silence. Wordlessly, Hiro flopped down and curled around Zero-Two. She hummed contently as he did. He wrapped one arm around her waist and pressed flush again her. He brought the other over her so they could hold hands. No matter their position, they always went to sleep holding hands. It was a small gesture, left over from when Hiro would get too flustered when they tried to get closer but still wanted contact. With how comfortable they were with each other now, it was unnecessary compared to how much they touched but it was routine and brought comfort to them both. 

Both were nearly asleep when a loud bang of the bedroom door flinging open and hitting the wall startled. Both of them immediately jolted up, willing to protect each other. For Zero-two, it wouldn’t have been the first time guards and escorts had come for her in the night, and she wasn’t about to be ripped away from her Darling now of all times. Her lip lifted up in a low growl, anticipating a fight. Hiro had his arm held in front of Zero-two. He knew that rationally she could protect herself far better than he could protect her, but he still would put himself in front of her in the line of fire. He would not allow himself to stand by and do nothing.

Because the candle had burned out long ago, Hiro struggled to make out the silhouette of whoever had disturbed their peace. However, he had felt Zero-two relax against him, indicating that there was no danger. He squinted at the person standing in the doorway, who happened to be heavily panting. Far too short to be an adult so it must be another parasite, and with two distinctive pigtails that meant Miku. This was odd. Since their return, the only person who had come to their room had been Ichigo to check on them occasionally.

“Miku?” Hiro called out, “What’s wrong? Did something happen?” He tensed up at the idea that something had gone wrong. With them being by themselves, even a small injury could turn into something life-threatening.

“Not at all!” Miku swallowed down still panting, after a moment she seemed to catch it. She threw out her arms energetically and raised her voice even louder, to the point of shouting, “Nana’s back!!!”

Hiro sighed out of relief, thankful that no one was in danger, but his mind quickly caught up to what Miku had said and a smile broke out. It had seemed like they would be without their caretakers forever as if they were completely forgotten. Even with his distaste and distress of adults growing, he still deeply cared for his caretaker. Nana had been with them for so long that she had become a staple in their lives. Zero-two didn’t particularly care either way, she never developed any trust for adults like her darling had, but seeing him happy was pleasant, even if Nana could be a wet blanket for her fun sometimes.

In his excitement, Hiro nearly jumped off the bed but caught himself in the last second. As he was about to carefully try to navigate the darkness and not step on any of Zero-two’s picture, she took his hand and got up before him to lead him through the maze. She did so with such ease, reminding him that she had far better vision had any human, even in the dark. 

Miku stepped out of their way when they made it to the door, excitedly rocking on the balls of her heel. The second they were in the hallway, Miku spun around and ran down towards the stairs, completely disregarding that it was dark. “Come on! I’m not going to wait up for you guys!” Miku called teasingly as she left. Zero-two laughed at that and starting running after Miku pulling Hiro along. He was going to protest, saying that they should get changed first but he had thought Miku had been in her sleepwear too so it was probably fine. 

Zero-two stayed behind Miku, obviously letting her win as she could run faster than any of them. It put a smile on his face to see her engaging with their squad, even things so simple as that. As they rounded the corner to the stairs, the lounge came into view. Hiro couldn't help but let out a sigh- Nana was a sight for sore eyes after contact had been cut off for three weeks now. The rest of Squad 13 had already assembled, Miku must have volunteered to get them since Zero-two’s room was farther away from any of the others. Candles had already been lit and littered the room on various banisters and tables, making the room bright enough that he could make out that they were all, indeed, in sleepwear with the exception of Nana. Miku had bounded up to Zorome and starting talking about the prospect of a new mission. Both were equally excited and talking big about proving themselves. Hearing the floorboard creek, Goro looked back and offered them a wave with a lazy smile on his face. Futoshi was next to him, yawning and stretching his back, not noticing their presence at all. Hiro couldn’t blame him, it was far later than they had grown used to being awake. On Goro's other side was Ichigo, who when she saw him moved looked back as well and then gave Hiro a warm smile. Ikuno was next to her and the only one who seemed fully awake, well besides Miku and Zorome who were bouncing off the walls. Judging by the small paperback tucked under her arm, she had been reading. Mitsuru and Kokoro were hand in hand, leaning against one another struggling to stay awake. Nana stood in the center of the semicircular, only a few paces from the door and datapad in hand.

Nana glanced up, seeing Zero-two and Hiro, and gave a small wave of acknowledgment before looking back at the rest of the parasites. “Now that you’re all here, we can leave. We’ll be heading to the briefing room, as usual. The transports are now back online and the franxx are prepared for you. I’m sorry for the timing, but we have a mission for you that cannot wait.”

The parasites exchanged a few looks of confusion. They had assumed the transport and other facility had been damaged beyond prepare, but now it seemed they had been locked in Mistilteinn purposefully.

“Now, follow me. Hachi will be waiting for us in the briefing room and there we will be able to give you more information,” Nana continued and she turned to leave. Her brow had furrowed slightly at the parasites' looks, seemingly uncomfortable. It was as if she wanted to say more, but held herself back.

The parasites filled out after her somewhat sluggishly, not yet having woken completely up. That, however, didn’t keep Ichigo from catching up to Nana with a serious look on her face, “Nana, can I ask you something?”

“Save your questions about the mission unit-”

“It’s not about that. I want to know why we were left alone.”

Nana stopped walking at that and a heavy atmosphere fell over them all. While they had managed on their own, they still had been abandoned by the people they were told would take care of them. It didn't help that they had been quickly running out of resources like food and water. Nana stayed quiet for a few moments before sighing and shaking her head. She turned away, refusing to look Ichigo in the eye. “We had been observing you. You weren’t alone,” she said firmly, clearly not wanting to be questioned more on the matter.

However, Ichigo was always stubborn, especially when it came to the safety of her squadmates. “But-”

“There will be no more questions on this topic. You need to focus on the objective,” Nana spoke flatly, as her eyes snapped back, all of the friendliness void from her voice.

The rest of the walk to the transports had been silent, the ride had been as well. No one brought up the fact that they couldn’t focus on an objective when they haven’t been told what theirs was.

* * *

After suiting up, each pair of pistil and stamen sat together awaiting directions in the briefing room, as directed. Beforehand, Nana told them she and Hachi had something to confirm and to wait for them to finish, leaving them under the air of anticipation for the coming mission. It just added to the strangeness of the situation as she usually was the one waiting for them. Nervous energy buzzed around the squad, yet it did not seem to reach Zero-Two and Hiro. They sat hand in hand, at ease. There was no tension or reluctance in their poses, it was if they were back at the Mistilteinn. During the time after the Battle for the Gran Crevasses, they had all noticed the two seemed closer despite the strain their relationship had gone through. Now, it was even clearer how close they were with them being completely relaxed about the coming battle, trusting each other full-heartedly. None of the children knew why or how they managed to be like this.

“Sooo....what happened between you two?” Zorome asked, taking one for the team and asking what they were all thinking, his curiosity was killing him anyways.

Hiro looked over to Zorome and tilted his head, “What do you mean?”

“Well, you two seem to have gotten closer lately- don’t deny it we all know it’s true. So what happened?” Miku piped in with a shrug of her shoulders. 

“We simply remembered what was important to us,” Hiro spoke softly with a nostalgic smile as if that short phrase answered any of their questions. The rest of the squad were just more confused, racking their brains about what Hiro could mean.

“Darling’s right,” Zero-Two said while leaning over to rest her head on his shoulder, “I remembered that he was precious to me. That I didn’t want to lose him.”

“We remember that we are better off together than apart,” Hiro continued, he paused and turned to nuzzle Zero-two, “and that we truly belong together.” It took Squad 13 back a bit, while Zero-two had always been bold with her displays of affection, the same couldn’t be said for Hiro. He had always been flustered and nervous when Zero-two touched him in front of them, but now he was comfortably, almost naturally, returning the favor.

“Well doesn’t that go for all partners,” Zorome asked with a puzzled face. ‘That’s why we are paired upright? Besides just protecting the plantations and adults.”

“Not quite, it’s deeper than just being partners,” Zero-two answered, her voice soft and full of affection. “Darling makes me who I am, and I make him who he is.”

“Are you saying you own him? Hiro’s his own person,” Ichigo suddenly interjected, frowning. She didn’t want to fall back to this fight with Zero-two after feeling like they finally made progress together, but Hiro was her friend and should be treated as an individual.

“Don’t worry Ichigo, it's not like that,” Hiro reassured. “We lean and depend on each other, like the Jian. We bring out the best in each other” As Hiro spoke he held up their intertwined hands with a smile. that spoke of his devotion.

Before Ichigo or Zorome could respond, Hachi cleared his throat. They hadn’t realized Hachi or Nana had walked in, all of them engrossed in the conversation. He waited a moment to be sure he had their attention before speaking, “Multiple klaxosaur have been spotted in this area and will interfere with Papa’s plan to overtake the Gran Crevasse. Squad 13 is the closest operating squad, so you will be charged with eliminating the threat. Serval Mohorovičić-class with multiple Conrad class have set course to emerge from the Gran Crevasse.”

“On APE's recommendation, We have reactivated the various systems within the plantation. The release of magma energy will attract the klaxosaurs in our direction,” Nana continued as she pulled up a diagram of the plantation and the Gran Crevasse. “The currently plotted course of the klaxosaurs would have them intercept the plantation within the hour. Your mission is to halt their progress once they emerge from the Gran crevasse and destroy them. Do you understand?”

“ONLY AN HOUR?!?” Zorome exclaimed, jumping up and placing hands on his hips, “that’s ridiculous! Why didn’t you tell us sooner?”

“T-That's kind of sudden,” Ichigo mumbled before catching herself and bringing her voice back to normal, "but we have to make do." 

“Ichigo, Zorome right,” Ikuno uncharacteristically spoke up without prompting. She usually never argued against orders, let alone Ichigo's declarations.“That leaves us no time to prepare, why didn’t you get us sooner?" Ikuno inquired, turning her attention back to Nana.

“That’s a lot to take out for one squad,” Kokoro whispered, her voice shaking slightly. Mitsuru put his hand on her back, concerned. She had always been more sensitive to the prospect of danger than the rest of them.

Nana just averted her eyes from the parasites, saying nothing. Hachi spared her a glance, before continuing where she left off unfazed by the interruptions. “I am aware this is on short notice due to proximity, please prepare to engage immediately. Your orders are to not enter the Gran Crevasse without explicit permission from Papa. beyond that, Ichigo will take field command as usual.”

Ichigo, having regained her composure responded with a sharp nod before standing up and pivoting to face the team. “Let's proceed as usual, it's short notice and a lot but nothing we can’t handle.”

“Damn straight, the great Zorome will show off what we got,” Zorome exclaimed, his attitude flipping quickly as it does. “Ain't that right Miku?” Zorome went on, leaning down to throw his arm around his partner.

“Y-Yeah, that's right,” Miku stuttered, surprised Zorome included her. But her voice was as fierce as always. Between the two of them, confidence was in no short supply.

Ichigo giggled at the sight, the situation was serious, perhaps even dire, but it was good to see her teammates getting along and loosening up. It wouldn’t hurt their numbers either to be in good spirits. “Well then come on, there’s no time to waste,” Ichigo beckoned, turning to walk out of the room. 

They followed, with Goro comfortably at her side and Zero-Two and Hiro not far behind judging by their soft voices. Miku and Zorome were their normal loud self, proclaiming they would make the most kills. Mitsuru was reassuring Kokoro softly so she couldn’t make out the exact words, but she trusted the two to know what the other needs. Distantly, she could hear Futoshi encouraging Ikuno. They seemed to have finally fallen into a mutual agreement in their partnership, she was not sure what triggered it but she was glad. With her teammates behind her and her partner at her side, she felt sure of herself. She knew they believed in her and she believed in them in turn. They had faced fierce challenges before, they could overcome this one just like they had previously. She was sure they would succeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To returning readers, the original first chapter "The Battle That Changed Everything" hs been split into two. I did this because I believed it would help the story flow better and make it easier to read.


	2. Eye of the Hurricane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Squad 13 must take on a challenging battle that pushes the limits of their abilities. Forced into a corner, Hiro makes a choice that changes everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trigger warning for blood and slight gore

Connecting with Zero-Two felt natural to Hiro, Strelitzia bringing their minds and hearts together as one. He slipped into her mind with practiced ease, the sensation familiar yet new now that his memories had been unlocked. In turn, she no longer guarded her mind around him, her mind and soul were completely open to him. Within the depths of their connection, she embraced him. Their memories and emotions intertwined, flooding over each other in great waves. Within her, he saw their meeting- both of them. He saw the time they had spent together and the bond they had forged. Their treasured promises that together, they would see the outside world and that when they did, he would be her Darling. In the shallows of her mind, he saw another promise that was just as precious, that his wings existed for her. Their passion, their devotion, their love- it all came flooding to Hiro, without looking he knew their connection was solid. He breathed out and opened his eyes, Zero-two was glancing back with the smile he knew and loved, her soft voice warmed his soul, “let’s go, Darling.”

Really at times like this, there was no need for words between them. He knew that Zero-Two could feel him completely, his mind and his soul. He trusted her as she trusted him. They were partners in every sense of the way.

“Everyone ready?” Ichigo’s voice rang over the comm. Everyone gave the affirmative and they headed out of what was left of the hanger. Once fully outside the plantation, the descent into the indent left the massive klaxosaur hand was a shaky one, but they managed. Once down, they fell into their usual formations and moved out.

Even a distance away, they could see the Conrad-class klaxosaurs coming towards them. However, they were few and unorganized. The Conrad-class were small and spider-like, fast-moving yet with little defense around their core. What was more concerning were the klaxosaurs flooding over the ridge of the Gran Crevasse. At the helm was a Mohorovičić-class klaxosaur. It was top-heavy due to the massive horn protruding from its head like a battering ram. Without a doubt, it would easily be able to destroy the damaged plantation if they allowed it to get past them. Bringing up the rear was the other two Mohorovičić-class, both of similar build. They were raptor-like, obviously capable of great speed and maneuverability- like that of calvary. With the three, Conrad-class klaxosaurs followed.

“We need to take out the Mohorovičić-class in the front first, the plantation wouldn’t survive a hit from it,” Ichigo commed in. Argentea, use your speed to create a clear shot for Genista. Genista will use the Rook Sparrow to slow its advance, then Strelitzia will move in to take out the core- with how heavily armored that thing is, a hit from Genista and Strelitzia's queen pike might be the only chance we have to reach its core."

“Once Genista is cleared, Argentea will handle the blunk of the Conrad-class- you’re our fastest ground unit. Chlorophytum and Delphinium will intercept one of the rear Mohorovičić-classes before they can flank us. Genista and Strelitzia will intercept the other once their first objective is complete. Argentea, be ready to jump in at any time and assist further if necessary. Does everyone understand their position?” Ichigo continued, her voice was steady but there was nervousness there. It was a risky plan at best to have the franxx spread out so thin, but there was no other choice.

“We must end this battle fast,” Goro picked up. “There’s no room for mistakes with how close they are to our home. And even with the conservation that has been done, the plantation's magma reserves are low. We can’t afford to get sloppy out there, we don't have the time or fuel for it.”

“You can count on us,” Zorome said, his tone serious, “We’ll keep you guys safe while you take care of the big ones. It’s not the most glamorous, but someone has to do it.”

“Ichigo, Chlorophytum’s ready at your word,” Ikuno noted.

“The Rook Sparrow is prepped,” Mitsuru confirmed. “Genista’s will be ready to take aim once the shot is clear,”

“Okay, everyone- take your positions and move out!” Ichigo called out, putting an end to any talk on strategizing. They didn’t have any more time for that, the klaxosaurs were closing quickly. Argentea took the lead with Strelitzia and Genista following closely behind. Delphinium and Chlorophytum took up the rear. They held a steady pace, for the time being, waiting until the last moment possible to break away from each other.

Just as they finished their makeshift strategy, the front klaxosaur began to charge. Each movement made the ground shake and its joints release steam- but Hiro stayed at ease. Zero-Two hadn’t been phased or gave any indication of unrest so neither did he. They were confident in their abilities- if they were together they could get the job done. 

Argentea bolted forward, destroying Conrad-classes in her path without slowing her pursuit. The Mohorovičić-class paid her no mind, allowing her to slide head-on under the klaxosaur and take a stab at its hind legs, which were significantly less armored. Using both of her Night Claws, she dug deep into its right leg causing it to buckle under its own massive weight. To avoid getting crushed, Argentea didn’t go with her original plan of attacking both legs. Instead, she continued on her path forward and slide out from under klaxosaur only to enter a sea of Conrad-classes. “Genista! Now!” Argentea called out quickly before both Miku and Zorome had to focus their full attention on beating back the massive amount of klaxosaurs they had landed themselves in.

With its legs failing, the klaxosaur stumbled to the right. It could not counteract enormous inertia of its horn, made of hardened carbon packed tight, so it struggled to right itself. During its struggle, the klaxosaur twisted in a way so its horn was no longer obscuring the rest of the klaxosaur’s head as it pulled the rest of its body down. Hedding Argentea’s call, Genista took the shot. The recoil of the Rook Sparrow forced her backward and more importantly, changed the path of her fire. Ideally, she would have firmed herself in place before firing to absorb the recoil, but she didn’t have a chance to properly gain traction giving the fast pace of their situation. Mitsuru hesitated for a split second, considering taking another shoot but decided against it. There were still two more Mohorovičić-classes, they couldn’t risk running out of energy. They would have to gamble on Strelitzia's reach.

With the path cut for them, Hiro effortlessly guided Strelitzia forward before the klaxosaur could recover. Strelitzia threw her Queen Pike forward, logging it dead center into the wound Genista had caused. Engaging all her thrusters, she collided at full speed with the klaxosaur, grasping her Queen Pike and sending it further within. With the layers that Genista had already stripped away, they were able to pierce beyond the armor in seconds. Once inside, they slowed down for a moment, adjusting their trajectory for the core before once again piercing through the klaxosaur at full force before it had a chance to absorb them. Hiro felt Zero-two tense from the strain for a split second when they hit the core, but it shattered under the immense pressure of the Queen Pike moments later. Strelitzia forced her way through the corpse with ease as it began to collapse, pulling herself out to get a view of the current battle as the klaxosaur completely disintegrated.

Argenta had struggled at first to handle the sheer massive amount of klaxosaurs but was now darting through the Conrad-class’s attacks easily and destroying their cores left and right. While they had been dealing with the first of the large klaxosaurs, Delphinium and Chlorophytum had shifted to the right. Genista was hanging behind, cleaning up Conrad-classes with her bayonet that had gotten past Argenta while waiting for Strelitzia to take the lead. Hiro pulled Strelitzia back and set her on course for the left Mohorovičić-class and Genista followed. With all the franxx in place, they should be able to use a pincer movement to force the klaxosaurs together so that they could use the force of their full squad to defeat them.

The right flanking Mohorovičić-class began to charge so Delphinium sped up to meet it before it could advance too far forward. Chlorophytum hung back slightly, being a franxx that was better suited to ranged combat. With only two of them, the plan was for Delphinium to hold the klaxosaur in place and for Chlorophytum to fire magma rounds into it, weakening it enough so the two of them could force it to the center. Delphinium plunged her Envy Shops into the klaxosaur, but despite its looks, the beast was stronger than they had expected. She was able to slow the klaxosaur’s charge, but despite her best efforts it began to push her back. Chlorophytum dashed forward to help Delphinium, but before she could make it the klaxosaur swung its armored tail forwards, twisting so that Delphinium’s Envy Shops were ripped from her hands. Chlorophytum only barely avoided the attack, but Delphinium was not as lucky. Goro and Ichigo cried out as Delphinium took the full force of the devastating attack. The shock of suddenly taking such a heavy hit was too much for Ichigo, her connection with Delphinium breaking off as she fainted. Chlorophytum went for Delphinium and managed to throw her back so she didn't get trampled, only to be clipped by the klaxosaur’s tail herself, sending her flying. Seeing their struggle, Argentea dashed over to help. The two of them tried to protect Delphinium but were taking immense damage themselves.

Hiro was was shocked and through their connection, he felt that Zero-Two felt the same. Having grown closer to them, she no longer saw them as expendable but as friends. He immediately wanted to rush over and help Chlorophytum and Argentea with their struggle and get Delphinium out of danger while she was helpless, but there was the klaxosaur in front of them to worry about. Hiro tried to pull his focus back and ignore his concern, hoping that Chlorophytum and Argentea could hold out until they got there. The left flanking klaxosaur made its move towards them, swishing its tail as it charged forward. Now prepared for that type of attack, Strelitzia used her speed to dart past the klaxosaur before it could attack could its tail, throwing her Queen Pike into its head on the way. Using the high-pressure line that connected Strelitzia to her Queen Pike, she pulled the klaxosaur back, effectively stopping its assault while being out of the range of its tail. With the opening Strelitzia created, Genista began firing shells into the klaxosaur. The klaxosaur screeched out in pain, unable to avoid the heavy artillery. After three of Genista’s shots, Hiro could see the telltale glow of the core within the klaxosaur. Strelitzia pulled sharply on the line, ripping her Queen Pike out of the klaxosaur and reeled it back to her, preparing to destroy the core. 

Just as Hiro began to charge forward, a sharp sense of unease shot through their connection. Zero-two tensed up then tried to yell something out but was cut off by a loud bang and ringing in his ears. He realized a few things as he felt the distinct sensation of falling as Strelitzia tumbled through the air. The white noise that consumed his mind must mean that his connection with Zero-two was being strained, close to breaking. Another Mohorovičić-class klaxosaur had climbed up from the ridge and attacked them, he never should have left Strelitzia exposed to the Grand Crevasse like that. His last thought before the ground rushed up to meet him was that if he didn't do something soon, they are all going to die.

* * *

The sensation of being forcefully ripped away from Zero-Two was greater than any physical pain would ever be. Instead of being eased out of, the sudden break of their connection left a void in Hiro like a visceral wound, his other half is missing. He didn't understand at first, desperately is searching for her, for anything, but all he found was cold white noise. The feeling was soul-crushing, defeating- but it finally faded leaving only dull longing in its place. He tried to will himself to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt so heavy and his body weak. On the third try, he finally managed to crack his eyes open.

The first thing he noticed was that Zero-Two was slumped forward, limply hanging. The darkness made it hard for Hiro to see, but he could clearly make out how unnaturally unresponsive she was compared to her usual demeanor. Leaning forward, he wrapped his arms around her midsection and pulled her out of the pistil locks and on to his lap. Her head hung forward with her bangs obscuring her face. He lifted her head towards him, only to see what a bloody mess had become of her forehead. When Strelitzia impacted the ground, she must have hit her head. With the pistil locks holding her in place, she did not have as much freedom to move around as Hiro did to avoid the full impact, as the stamen's upper body was free to move. To make matters worse, the wound was still bleeding and with nothing to clot it, she would continue to lose blood. Judging by the blood he could now see splattered about the cockpit, she had lost much more than he first assumed- she couldn’t stand to lose much more.

He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t think. Zero-two was fading before his eyes and he could do nothing to help her. Outside, his friends were fighting for their lives and losing. He felt trapped with no control, it was like a cruel parody of the garden. But, he had to do something, anything. He had promised Zero-two they would see the world together, he couldn’t let her down.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sharp jolting of Strelitzia as the klaxosaur stepped down on her, further pushing her into the ground. Hiro tightened his grip on Zero-Two as Strelitzia tried to withstand the abuse, the cockpit creaking. But he knew that was useless, he couldn't protect her like that. Neither could Strelitzia for much longer, she was putting up a valiant effort but she could only take so much pressure. In their current state, he was just as helpless to save her as he was years ago.

Something deep inside Hiro took root, a determination, a perseverance that had been lying dormant. He was stronger now, having taken flight outside of the garden with Zero-Two, he would do anything to preserve their promise. He would crawl his way up from the gates of hell to protect her, to let her take flight once more no matter the consequences. He was the wings that she would grasp her dreams with. He refused to let them become an Icarus. He was not the powerless child trapped in that gilded birdcage as he had been for so long. Having tasted the winds of freedom, he would not so easily submit.

He shifted their positions so she was safely in the stamen seat, carefully attempting to fit her heels into the locks. Luckily, the locks clicked, seemingly they were large enough to fit the heels pistil's wore and she was safely secured. He then kneeled in front of her and took her hands in his. “I love you Zero-Two,” he whispered, barely audible under the creaking of the cockpit and the calls of klaxosaurs' above. Taking one last moment for himself, he at kissed her right between the horns. Her klaxosaur blood did not drive him away, it was part of her. He was not afraid, he had accepted this part of her to be able to pilot Strelitzia, but now he could fully embrace it; he now knew it flowed through him as well. This time he was her Darling, he would take flight in her stead.

He turned, mimicking the position Zero-Two took while connecting with him. He prayed Strelitzia would accept him, it was his only hope. He closed his eyes tried to imagine the shape of his mind reaching out to her as he would with Zero-two. He continued, steadfast and strong, offering himself to her despite feeling only vast emptiness. This would work, it had to. Suddenly she was there, clawing at him. With finally feeling something, even as painful as it was, he tried to open his mind completely. Unlike Zero-two, she flooded into his mind consuming every last thought and feeling he had. She overtook him completely, but he did not push her away- he embraced her and allowed her further into the depths of his soul. He would bare his entire self if that is what it took. He would do anything for Zero-two.

When he had felt she had finally settled into him, that’s when the pain started.

His mind, his body, his soul burned with a sensation like no other as he was pulled deeper into Strelitzia. He felt his body begin to become one with hers, his body burning and straining. His body began to change, bones and muscles shifting and growing under his skin, to mimic hers. When the pain became overwhelming and his vision when white, she screamed with him. An enormous pounding continued on in head growing and growing until it catalyzed behind his horns, causing them to burst forth growing in length and girth, the sharp edges cutting open his skin as they grew causing trickles of blood to cascade down his face. His eyes burned as the skin surrounding darkening to deep cobalt and his iris shifting into an intense blue, glowing in the darkness of the cockpit. Within the locks his hands broke the metal, squeezing with newfound strength through the pain of having his fingers split open to reveal claws. He coughed and choked out blood as his mouth changed, his teeth being forced out in the place of fangs and sharp canines, even though the blood a soft blue glow could be seen. Hiro finally broke and let out a sob as his spine shifted under his skin, prolonging and separating his vertebrae. The vertebrae themselves grew in length to fill in the new gaps while also growing upwards, breaking his skin to form ridges from the base of his skull along his back.

In the back of his psyche, he reasoned that he must be changing because of Strelitzia’s interface. She had been made for Zero-two, not a human. His mind never let this thought come to the forefront, the pain overwhelming him as his body continued to shift and change. The only feeling that managed to cut through the onslaught of pain was his passion to protect. He wouldn’t let those damn klaxosaurs to lay hurt his family anymore. He would tear apart any that dare touch his princess.

* * *

Ichigo felt like she was floated deep underwater, so deep that the sky had become completely obscured. Each breath felt like there was immense pressure on her lungs as if the weight of the ocean was pushing down on her. She couldn’t recall where she was or where she had been, her thoughts muffled and distance. Only once thing came to her, the mangled corpses of her squadmates after dying gruesome deaths. When she looked down, their blood was on her hands.

“Ichigo! Ichigo!” Goro’s voice cut through the fog of her mind, his voice clear despite that it felt like they were worlds away. The panic in his voice, the fear- it was something she never wanted to hear. He had called out to her, she needed to answer yet her lips wouldn’t move. So she swam up against the pressure pushing her down and broke the surface, opening her eyes.

When she saw was the dark cockpit of her franxx, the memories came flooding back to her. The mission, the klaxosaurs, the pain. Even though the dense hull of her franxx, she could hear Chlorophytum and Argentea fighting and struggle beside them. In the back of her mind, there was a rush of shame. Not only had her plan failed, but she had been the weak link, the one who causes things to go amiss. She was supposed to be their leader, the one that protected them.

“Ichigo?” Goro asked in a quiet voice, with both hints of hope and fear. She looked back only to see Goro wearing an expression she couldn’t quite describe. At that moment, she forgot about the klaxosaurs and only saw him. She never wanted to make him feel this way again. He really cared too much for others, never thinking of himself...he really cared too much for her. Goro breathed out a sigh of relief when she saw her twist back to look at him, realizing she was back with him, “You had gotten so heavy. I thought I lost you”

She didn't know what to say, or what not to say, when he spoke to her like that, with much depth in his voice showing the extent of how much he cared in so few words. She thought and thought, but could not think of something that could return what he had given, so she settled on a simple parsing. “I'm here Goro”

He chuckled at her bluntness, but she could tell he was relieved. “Welcome back. Come on then, let’s show them what we’re made of.” She nodded in response and took the position, both of them sliding back into their connection, deeper than before. Oddly enough, she felt calmer than she had been before the attack. She reasoned since the worst had already happened, there could only be good luck waiting for them.

Once online, she assessed the damage. Chlorophytum and Argenta were in front of her, trying to fend off a klaxosaur. They each narrowly avoided its tail as it continued to whip around. To her left, Genista was trapped under another klaxosaurs claw, too pinned down to use her Rook Sparrow. She was only enduring it because of her thick armor, but that could only last so long. Strelitzia was nowhere to be seen, which made Ichigo's stomach drop. Had she already been destroyed?

Meanwhile, Strelitzia struggled underneath the grip of the klaxosaur, coming back online. She let out a roar, and with a burst of light, the beast was forced off her and now short one limb.

There stood Strelitzia, alone and proud. Their ace in the hole, who was always the last man standing. Yet, seeing her, Ichigo’s blood ran cold. She was no longer the iron maiden.

At first, Ichigo believed she was just bathed in klaxosaur blood, but it only took a moment to realize that it couldn’t be true. She was hunched over, her lithe body contoured into an unfamiliar quadruped form Her her cream and apricot appearance had been traded for the black and blue native to the klaxosaurs. Her head chest, usually in the shape of a mane, had been twisted together to form two spiraling horns bent backward. She muzzle was elongated and sharp, more so than usual. Her spine was lined with raised ridges, with an electrifying blue glow and veins that sprayed over the expanse of the back. The veins from her lower spin melted into her tail, increasing the girth of it as it leads up to her spear as if it was the last spine that jutted out from her. Her appearance no longer mirrored that of a lion, but that of a reptile. Before she could observe further differences, Strelitzia moved.

Strelitzia wasted no time, darting towards the off-balance klaxosaur and clawing her way onto it. She immediately began to rip into the beast, seemingly mindlessly without her usually coordination. The klaxosaur screamed and lashed out, attempted to whip her off but her claws were dug in too deep. She had no mercy, only the drive to kill like a beast herself. As she dug through the hide of the klaxosaur, she made a sudden drive and plunged her tail into the beast, emerging having stabbed the core with her tail, leaving behind the ravished corpse to implode. The quickness of it all stunned Ichigo, she had destroyed a klaxosaur with such speed where they struggled to hold back one of the same caliber, let alone defeat it.

Strelitzia lunged from the corpse to the nearest klaxosaur which had Genista pinned under it. She hadn’t been able to handle the klaxosaur alone and had only lasted this long because of her thick armor. The klaxosaur had been surging downwards, ready to take Gensita into its mouth when Strelitzia landed on its back, pulling its attention off of Genista. It tried to throw her off, trashing and twisting in every way possible but it was to no avail. Strelitzia suddenly started stabbing the beast with her tail in quick successions, searching for the core. The beast weakened as it lost blood but still weakly flailed. It didn't take long for Strelitzia to find the core with her crude method, even with how large the klaxosaur was

“is that…Zero-Two?” but as soon as she said that, Ichigo knew something didn't quite feel right, “but why does Strelitzia look like that?”

“Ichigo,” Goro’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts, back into battle, “let’s not waste the opening Zero-Two’s created for us” It was deeply unnerving for her to hear Strelitzia referred to without Hiro, but he was right. Otherwise, Strelitzia wouldn’t look like that. Hiro must have been knocked unconscious. However, she could shake the feeling that something was off.

“Chlorophytum, Argenta- thanks for the save, now just hold on a little longer now, Strelitzia’s coming. We need to hold it still for her,” Ichigo said as she joined the two franxx. She couldn’t do much without her Envoy Shop, but she grabbed the klaxosaur's tail with the others, trying to keep it still. They need Strelitzia, fast. The klaxosaur was pulling hard, trying to fresh its tail- they couldn't keep this up for much longer. She tried to comm her in, but the channel was closed as if she was offline. But she needed to get in contact with her somehow.

She couldn’t be sure Zero-two could even hear them in the state she was in, but it was worth a shot. Ichigo breathed in and let out a shout.

“STRELITZIA!”

It seemed to have worked, as Strelitzia looked over from the corpse she was still ravaging. She hissed and slandered forward picking up speed. Ichigo felt Goro tighten his grip on the klaxosaur in preparation. If nothing else they could hold it in place for her. Strelitzia lunged at full speed forward and cleanly dove through the beast, landing behind them with the crushed core in her mouth. Even in her state, she must have remembered where the core had been in the other and when for the same spot. It was a great show of her power with how she had forced herself through the beast with such ease. Relief flooded through their connection as the strain was finally taken off of Delphinium, but Strelitzia took no time to rest even after the creature was defeated. She dug like a ravage best as she tore the klaxosaur apart. The displace was grotesque, made worse by how she then continued to dig into the klaxosaur as if it was still alive as if she couldn't tell the difference.

Chlorophytum stayed at Delphinium's side, wrapped her arm around her and supporting the damaged franxx. Argenta darted over to help Genista up, who surprisingly had maintained her connection. Ichigo wanted to help, maybe even stop Strelitzia but all that any of squad 13 could do was watch the slaughter. Somehow she was different than before, beyond just appearances. More feral with a single-minded determination that she had never seen before. Ichigo didn’t get time to ponder, as Strelitzia emerged from the corpse as it finally completely collapsed. Yet, opposed to the seemingly constantly movement since she came back online, she was still and ridged. She seemed to be still online, but Ichigo could shake her unease at Strelitzia's current form and behavior. 

Something was very wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since Zero-two is adamant about wanting to be called her name, Hiro doesn't call her nicknames out loud. But, he does in his mind. He chose "Princess" because of her old picture book with the beast princess.
> 
> On why I chose to change the title from "The Battle that Changed Everything" to "Eye of the Hurricane" is because I felt the old title was too straight forward and that this one fit better. Despite the fact that Squad 13 are engaged in a battle, they are in the "calmer" point of their narrative. Hiro's choice and changes are the eye, where it all began and from which the storm will grow.


	3. Ripples in The Pond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zero-Two awakes and finds Hiro in a horrific state. She notices the physical changes to Hiro and fears something deeper is at work. She swears to protect her prince. Meanwhile, Ichigo and Goro attempt to pick up the pieces after the battle while receiving a surprise visit.

_The snow was frigid under her bare feet as the blizzard raged on. The sharp winds and hail were sharp against her skin, her ragged dress providing no protection. The chill had long settled in her bones, any warmth she had gone. The punishing weather should have pushed her to take shelter, but her place was here. The mistletoe stood tall above her, unmoved by the storm brewing around them- a guardian angel of her promise, the sole purity left in her forest of monsters. Among the drab greys of the forest, it stood out like a beacon of light with its silver trunk and its bunches of mistletoe like stars in the sky. In her hands, she one such bundle of stars, the mistletoe a memento of the time she had spent with her Prince. She held her token close to her chest, shielding it from the harsh winds. She had not been able to protect him, but she would protect their memories._

_The forest surrounding was overcast with the sounds of great beasts, the goliaths shifting like shadows throughout the trees. From them, a chorus of low growls and hisses, howls and whispers all from those that shared her blood. Throughout the clamor, their messages reached her. Some threats, howls and curses that they would rip the false Princess apart and drag her before the queen, make her suffer for her mockery. Others whispered, their gurgled tone sickening sweet dripping with deception, beckoning her into the depths of the woods, that she would finally be happy their, reunited with her real family. But the worst was a single small voice, a mimic of her own, echoing her own thoughts- that her Prince would abandon her, one day leave her out of fear and disgust of the beast that she truly was._

_The essence of each call sank into her soul, shaking her resolve- but she never falters completely. She knew the beasts’ true intentions, to lure her away from the tree she held dear and tear it to shreds, to erase her precious memories. She could not allow that to happen. She had to protect the place where she and her Prince had bore their hearts to each other, where they forged an unbreakable bond. This place, their tree, was the locket of her heart, and her Prince was the key. She would never let harm befall it, even if she had to spill every last drop of her blood and her beating heart stilled._

_As if commanded by almighty force, the chorus of beast softened their cruel songs, fading into the wind. The shadows retreated further into the woods, and she was alone. Her solitude did not last for long, as she heard soft footsteps from the depths of the woods coming near. For a moment, hope blossomed in her heart before it was consumed by doubt. It must be a trick, an attempt to make her venture from her post. She crouched down, holding her mistletoe to her chest with on arm and preparing to attack with the other. She let out a growl, a challenge. Whether it be a single foe or legions of mean or beast, she would defend her precious place._

_When the figure emerged, all tension left her body. It was no trick, no magic or illusion could replicate him so perfectly. It was her Prince, smiling despite the bitter cold. He was her Prince, she was sure of it- yet, there was a different air to him. He looked like her, not quite human anymore. As if he had taken the piece of her heart she gave him and consumed it, allowing her heart part of him. The beast had all parted for him, allowed him forward as if he was one of them. But it didn't matter, as long as he was back- as long as he was still hers. He continued forward, steady and sure. His smile was unchanged, perhaps aged, but it was still the smile she had fallen in love with. He was enchanting in that way, constantly changing yet remaining at his core the Prince she meant so long ago. He was a beacon for her soul, her guiding light than would one day open the door to the world._

_She stood completely up, she wanted to run to him, gather him up in her arms and lavish him with her affection. He was so close, close enough to touch if she moved a few paces, yet he seemed lifetimes away. She couldn’t contain herself, she ran forward to him but the ground crumbled beneath her feet. She was barely able to scramble back to prevent falling into the vast canyon that had opened up beneath them, dark as a starless sky. She looked to her Prince, his smile turning melancholy. He knew, he somehow knew this would happen. The expanse between them had become great, far greater than any distance she could leap. She wanted to reach him, she would do anything to reach him but without him, apart from him, she had no wings. She could not cross the rift._

_Her heart dropped. How cruel is fate, to allow them to lay eyes on each other once more only to deny them their deepest wish? Her Prince began to turn away and she froze up, a cold fear setting in her far more dangerous than any blizzard. Had he...was he giving up on her? Had he finally became disgusted with what he saw? Had he only come to confirm his suspicions?_

_But then, he saw her. Behind her Prince from out of the forest came a Witch. Seeing her, she felt terrified for her Prince. The Witch set her claws on her Prince’s shoulders as if she was a dear friend, not a fiend that should not have been anywhere near him._

_He turned back to her and spoke. His soft voice was so distant, and the wind so loud with the voices of beasts, having returned to their chanting. She strained herself, she so desperately wanted to hear him again, hang onto every word he said. She tried and tried, but could only make out a few words._

_"...I'll be your wings…I won't let you fall..."_

_As he spoke, the beasts returned, lurking over him and the Witch. They surrounded him, bloodthirsty and fierce. She screamed out, calling for her Prince not to go with the Witch, not to go back into the forest. It wasn’t safe, to please come back to her._

_He shook his head at her words, his expression telling her he had already known what she would plead. “Do not worry...trade my humanity...I’ll come to you…”_

_Despite not being able to make out his whole phrase, her eyes widened in horror. He couldn’t do that! It wasn’t safe, he would fall for the Witch’s tricks! He would fall right into her clutches and never escape, never come back. Her eyes brimmed with tears, fear in her heart and despair in her soul._

_He lifted his hand to wave, a cruel gesture- was it goodbye? “...I love you, my Princess, wait for me, and together, we’ll fly…”_

_He turned around and began to return to the darkness of the forest, the Witch leading him with her hand on his back. The blizzard picked up, the winds nulling her screams. The icy whiteness covered her vision and she could not see him, could not find him. How could fate be so cruel! She had been so close, if only she could reach a little further! But even as she tried with all her might, the winds pushed her back. She fought but all she got in return was a weakness in her bones- an infection that spread through her body, her heart, her soul. Finally, the cold overtook her and she fell to her knees, helpless once again._

_All she had left was her mistle as he disappeared in the winds, despite her desperate cries for her darling that reached no one, not even her own ears._

* * *

“DARLING,” Zero-two let out a choked off scream, panic heavy in her voice, as her eyes snapped open. Her eyes darted around, confused by seeing dark instead of the white of the blizzard. Where had she ended up, was she no longer under her tree? Where did the Witch take her Darling? Was he okay? Her mind raced with questions that had no answers before she came to her senses. It had just been a dream, a nightmare, but still just a dream. A dull ache in her head brought her back to the present, her mind recognizing the interior of Strelitzia’s dark cockpit. Her memory jolted, instantly she recalled everything- the battle, how they were losing and how she hadn’t been able to warn her Darling, how painful it felt to be torn away from him.

"Zero-Two?...Thank God...You're okay," a voice whispered, her Darling’s. However in his tone was exhaustion, desperation, and most of all relief. Hearing his voice come from in front of her made her realize she was in the stamen’s seat, oddly enough, but there was no time to wonder about that. Looking down, she was shocked to see her Darling in the pistil position, although logically that’s where he had to have been. He looked back at her through his bangs with his head hung low and turned back slightly. He was struggling to hold himself up, his body shaking with the effort. He was covered in blood, what seemed to be his own and hers judging from the red and blue. Again another oddity, her glamor had designed her blood and skin long ago. She soon realized she was mistaken when she saw the raised ridges coming off of his spine, still bleeding. They looked to have broken the skin and his parasite suit, coating him in a thick layer of red and blue blood. But, that shouldn’t be possible. Even with their shared blood, her Darling was still more of a human than a monster like her. But she couldn’t deny her eyes. 

The ridges glowed slightly in the dark cockpit, a beautiful sight she would have admired if not for the state of her Darling and her mounting concern. She followed her line of sight up his spine and saw magnificent horns in the place of where his little nubs had been. They were longer than hers currently, similar to how hers were before she began to file them down. They too were splotched with his multi-colored blood. Under the curtain of his bangs, she could just make out one of his eyes, it's color breathtaking. His natural aqua had been traded for a brilliant bright blue, luminescent just as his spine was. The corner of his eye bore the same mark as hers did, but in matching cobalt to his horns. 

Even with him slumped over in front of her, covered in his own blood and sweat and dried tears, he was beautiful. He truly looked like her, like he was hers. It was a selfish thought, a selfish want, a desire than should have never manifested- yet here he was, a radiant double-edged sword before her. She felt a deep pang of guilt thinking her Darling looked better like this as if it was how he was meant to be. It was upsetting and frankly horrifying to see her Darling bloody and ragged, but to see him reflect her- it was a claim very deeper than they had already staked on each other, a bond only they could share. Even like this, he was still her prince, the one she had fallen for. She couldn’t keep her hands off him any longer, she had to hold her Darling.

"Darling," Zero-Two breathed, barely even a whisper as she fell forward towards him. She wrapped her arms around his midsection and pulled him out of Strelitzia's locks, bring him up onto her. He collapsed into her lap, completely exhausted, allowing her to pet him. Feeling his blood on her hands made it all the more real, that whatever had happened to him put him through great pain and his body through trauma, but he was alive. She could feel his breathing, his heart, the blood that flowed through his veins. She couldn’t help the tears the built up in her eyes, not even bothering to hold them back. “Darling, Darling, Darling..,” she repeated, quietly sobbed, again and again. He was here, not gone, the beasts hadn’t got him. He was hers, her prince was not unreachable anymore. She could hold him in her arms once more, fate’s cruelty hadn’t reached them yet.

Now outside of the lock, she could see his hands had changed too. On the ends of his fingers were black sharp nails, talons almost, that faded to the familiar cobalt. The parasite suit on his hands was completely shredded and bloody, likely he had dug his nails into his palm judging by the wounds there as well. It was worrying, knowing her Darling was in enough pain to do that, but she could not do anything about that now. all she could do was hold him close, whispering words of praise and encouragement.

A thought ate at her, one she couldn't dismiss. Her Darling had been in the pistil position, and not just that- with the sound of those locks releasing it meant that he had been connected to Strelitzia. It brought her to a conclusion she dreaded, that she tried to ignore. Her Darling must have been piloting alone. She had promised to always ride with him, yet because of her, he had to ride alone. Having Strelitzia in stampede mode was not like the pleasant feeling of connecting with her Darling, in fact, it felt the opposite of riding with her Darling. She felt feral, caged and backed into a corner. She felt like she did before her Darling found her when all she had was memories room and her precious picture book as she was trapped in that lab.

"Zero-Two," he spoke wearily, struggling to keep his eyes open. He reaching up with a shaky hand to touch her cheek. She quickly reached to clasp his hand to hold it to her, desperately craving any contact. His hand was clammy, cold. He leaned his head back and struggled to smile at her, his breathing becoming heavier and slowing as he struggled to stay conscious.

"Darling, I'm here," Zero-Two whispered, starting to tear up again. Her Darling was hurt, more severely than the time she had nearly lost him. She was scared, not being able to stop imagining him during his third ride- laying there with that tumor on his chest eating away at him. The terror, the pain, the grief when her Daling’s pulse had fallen, leaving her alone. These changes now, she couldn’t deny that yet again they must be related to her blood within him. All she could hope was that he would do as he always did and recover from the impossible.

Her Darling simply continued smiling up at her, even as he turned to nuzzle into her shoulder. He sighed and let his body go limp as he closed his eyes. For a second Zero-Two's heart stopped, fearing him was gone. But his soft breathing assured her that he had simply passed out from exhaustion and pain. Which wasn’t ideal, but better than the alternative. She sat there for a few minutes just cradling her Darling, making sure he was alive- needing to feel his heartbeat and breathing, needing to know she was not all alone.

But with her Daling’s labored breathing, she knew she needed to get him out of here. Gently moving him aside, she stood up and searched for Strelitzia’s master locks in the dark. Her hands brushed against the trigger and she pulled. With a hydraulic hiss, she had expected Strelitzia’s faceplate opened up. However, it was Strelittitzia’s jaw that unhinged to let them out. Zero-Two’s heart dropped realizing what this meant, her original thoughts she tried to suppress were right. Her Darling had been piloting Strelitzia alone, as a pistil. She didn’t know how it was possible, but the changes in her Darling must have been connected to the burden of riding with Strelitzia alone. But now wasn’t the time for guessing how or why. She had to get her Darling to safety.

She turned back to him, as if she looked away for too long he would disappear. Laid there like that he looked so fragile, broken even. She leaned down to him and laid a kiss right between his bloody horns, the taste bitter on her lips- but it was his, so even now she treasured it. Cradling him to herself, she whispered, “I’m here Darling. I’ll protect you- always.” With that, she scooped him up in her arms bridal style, letting his head rest on her shoulder. She turned to the light and began to carry him out of the cockpit and hoped for the best.

* * *

Ichigo had ordered everyone to stay in their franxx and stay connected since they were still on the edge of the Gran Caresse. After what had happened with Strelitzia, she was not confident in confirming that they had killed all the klaxosaur. With the mission complete, they should have left and headed back to safety. But she wasn’t ready to leave yet, not without knowing if Hiro was okay. Strelitzia had not changed in position or form, simply standing where she had stopped. All attempted contact Strelitzia from Delphinium and the others had been meant with white noise. 

She sighed, unsure of what to do. She decided to try to comm in one last time before returning to the hangers. While the call when unanswered, Strelitzia began to move. Steam began to rise from the joints in her jaw as the hydraulics activated, indicating that someone was activating her from the inside. She Ichigo held her breath as Strelitzia's jaw dropped. 

After a minute, she saw a silhouette- clearly, Zero-two but what struck fear into her heart was that she was holding something that could only be Hiro. She felt Goro pull on the controls to rush over and she effortlessly complied, their desires as one. They slid to a stop and kneeled in front of Strelitzia, blocking anyone else from seeing the two. It was selfish perhaps, but she wanted to be able to confirm if her fears were correct without interruption. Goro gently disconnected from her, unlocking the franxx so they could be face to face with Zero-two and Hiro. Silently, she thanked him for always knowing her thinking.

She stumbled out of the pistil locks, not taking the time or care to disengaged properly. Running up to the edge of Delphinium’s open faceplate brought her to only a meter or two away from Strelitzia. She heard Goro behind her, grabbing her shoulder and pulling her back. In her frenzy, she hadn’t realized she nearly walked off of the edge. Even now, he was looking out for her.

She could now fully see them, even with shadows still cast over them. Zero-two had blood clotted in her hair and plastered onto her forehead, and down her face streaked still fresh tears. But her attention was immediately drawn to Hiro, limp in her arms. She couldn’t believe, first thought it might have been a trick of the shadows but Hiro indeed had horns, far longer than Zero-two’s. Upon closer inspection, she realized horns were not all Hiro had. Around his eyes, he had the same markings as Zero-Two did, but in blue. Along with them, his nails seemed to have gotten longer and darker, but it might really have just been a trick of the light. However, most concerning was the growths along his spine. With him turned into Zero-two, she could fully see the expanse of his back, displaying the gore that had become of it. She could only hope they were an abnormality in his parasite suit.

"Goro," she whispered, not trusting her voice to say much more without shaking.

"Yeah, I know," Goro breathed out as if he was trying to keep his calm too. He gripped her shoulders tighter and took a deep breath. She felt guilty, for a second, having been so consumed in her emotions to not consider how close Goro was to Hiro. In the garden, when he was not with her, He was with Hiro. And now as parasites, they shared a room and confided in each other. Goro must be equally as shaken at the sight of Hiro bruised and bloody. She was soon jolted out of thought as she felt Goro shift forward to be at her side. 

“What happened?” he asked, simple and straightforward. Yet, his voice betrayed him fully displaying how distressed he was.

Zero-two shook her head, “I don’t know, just please, help.”

Goro nodded and turned around, pulling Ichigo with him. Her mind couldn’t keep up with what she saw, she felt paralyzed. When Goro felt her resistant, he looked back and gently spoke, “Ichigo, we have to go. Hiro needs us.”

She stayed silent for a moment until his words sank in. He was right, Hiro needed them. She shook her head and slapped her cheeks, coming back to the present.

Once back in Delphinium, they connected quickly. With their minds and desires as one. When Goro shifted the controls, she accepted the command and Delphinium reached her hand out to Strelitzia's mouth, where Zero-Two stood. Zero-Two lucky took the message and stepped onto her hand very carefully. Despite their rocky past, seeing Zero-two handle Hiro so careful help reassure her that her trust was well placed. Zero-two was putting her trust in them as well to get Hiro back safely. She wouldn’t make her regret it.

"Chlorophytum, Argentea try to see if you can carry Strelitzia back. Genista, cover our rear as we pull back- I don't want any more surprises," Ichigo commanded, attempting to not sound shaken by the sight of Hiro. She cupped Delphinium's hands to keep the others from seeing the state Hiro was in. While they all cared for her, and perhaps they as close to Hiro as her and Goro, but seeing him like this, it would not be good for team morale.

"Roger that, boss," Zorome said with a flatter inflection that normal, the gravity of the situation was not lost on him. "so what's wrong with Hiro?"

"I-I don't know," Ichigo nearly whispered, far too quiet for Delphinium’s comms to pick up. Her voice quivered as her blood went cool. That was the one question she wanted to avoid being asked, but it was the only one that mattered. She was afraid for him. Goro reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, wordlessly reassuring her. She looked back and nodded- understanding that right now her squad needed her to be their leader, confident and commanding. She took a deep breath and spoke again, making sure her voice was steady, "I don't know, but I'm sure Nana and Hachi can figure it out. Right now, we need to focus on pulling out"

"Come on, Zorome, let's get moving. The longer we stay here the creepier it is," Miku whined.

"Miku isn't wrong. It's dangerous to stay here with our franxx damaged, and we don't know how many more klaxosaur there are," Ikuno confirmed, her voice flat but not emotionless. Ichigo knew her friend well enough to sense her worry. Chlorophytum moved to pick up the front half of Strelitzia. 

“I don’t see why we’re stuck with the heavy lifting,” Zorome complained. 

Ichigo felt a shot of annoyance but stopped herself from snapping. They were all tired, it wasn’t unreasonable for any of them to irritable. “Genista took a lot of damage, I don’t want to risk straining her worst than she already has been. We need you, Zorome.”

“I guess that’s true,” Zorome huffed out, her attempt to appeal to his pride working. With a pout, Zorome moves Argentea to pick up her rear.

Delphinium turned and began to proceed forward at medium speed. She wanted to get back as fast as possible, but more so she didn’t want to accidentally hurt Hiro and Zero-two more than they were already. Chlorophytum then Argentea easily followed. Genista trailed a little behind with her rook sparrow trained on the Gran Caresse but didn't stray far. The franxx settled into this formation as if nothing was out of normal, as if they were hauling Strelitzia.

As they began to move, a call came in from command. Ichigo startled and panicked slightly. Before she could move, Goro blocked radio communication from command. She spared a glance at his at her confusion but he shrugged, “I’ll regret the lecture we’ll get from Nana later, but right now the last thing I want to do is figure out how to report to them.” Ichigo couldn’t help but agree with him, it wasn’t a good role model for the rest of the team but this one time she supposed it would be okay.

Ichigo couldn't help but move Delphinium to look down at Hiro and Zero-Two again. Zero-Two was protectively curled around him, looking ready to kill anything that tried to separate them. From what little she could see, Hiro was still unconscious. The sight of Hiro bloody and weak brought back memories of Mitsuru's ride with Zero-Two. Had something similar happened? She couldn't get caught up in what-ifs currently, Ichigo had to stand strong and lead her team and trust in Zero-two.

Ichigo heard the comms click open, and then Kokoro’s gentle voice. “Ichigo...is Hiro and Zero-Two alright?” she asked nervously. Glancing over her shoulder, Genista’s expression was full of worry. That was a hard question to answer without giving away Hiro’s current state. With how bloody Hiro was and how protective Zero-Two was acting, she was concerned. But, Genista had been pinned down for a long time and took the full force of the klaxosaur- Kokoro had to be exhausted and bruised at best, she didn’t need more to worry about besides herself.

“Hiro’s fine, just a little beat up. He must have lost gripe when Strelitzia was hit,” Goro responded in her stead. She really would have to find a way to thank him later.

“Oh, thank goodness,” Kokoro sighed and clicked off the comm.

“Thanks for the save, Goro,” Ichigo breathed out, not realizing she had been holding her breath.

“Of course. That’s what partners are for, isn’t it? To pick up where the other left off,” Goro teased, his attempt to lighting the mood falling flat from the weariness in his tone, but she appreciated nonetheless.

“Yeah, I guess so,” Ichigo allowed herself to chuckle slightly but then sighed under the reality of the situation, “I’m really worried about him, Goro.”

“Me too Ichigo, me too.”

"What happened?" Nana demanded before the franxx had even docked properly. Hachi stood diligently at her side, silently asking the same. Even within the franxx, his eyes bore holes in his skull. With her hands on her hips, Goro could not tell if she was angry or deeply concerned. She did seem to care more for the parasites than other caretakers, but he supposed even Nana had her limits. “Strelitzia’s feeds cut off midway through the battle, we couldn’t see anything from her or read Hiro’s vitals. We lost Zero-Two’s vitals completely. And to top it all off, you two had the audacity to cut our comm feeds. So I’ll ask again. What. Happened.”

Goro cringed slightly, knowing that such treatment meant there was more than what meets the eyes. His question was answered when he saw that Doctor Franxx standing behind Nana and Hachi, stroking his beard with a curious expression in his one eye. He stepped forward between Nana and Hachi, even causing Hachi to flinched in surprise slightly before he spoke, “Nana, that’s enough.” Nana flustered slightly and backed away, her demeanor giving away to nervousness and concern. “After we lost contact with Strelitzia’s video feed, we had access to Hiro’s vitals for some time before they blacked out. Right before Strelitzia stopped sending Hiro’s vital we read a significant spike in yellow blood cells- even higher than during his third ride. I have come to see why.”

“You didn’t have to come in person, Doctor. Really a video call would have been sufficient,” Nana complained.

“Oh no judging by that,” Doctor Franxx lifted his cane to point to where Zero-Two was curled around Hiro in Delphinium’s hands, “I really did have to. Look, even from here I can see it, blue and red blood. There, on Delphinium’s hands. And if my hunch is correct, it's not from the klaxosaur.”

Goro loosened his grip on the controls to let Delphinium open her hands more, giving the Doctor a better view of Zero-Two and Hiro. Unfortunately, this also gave their teammates a better view of Hiro. He heard Kokoro gasp at the sight, and Mitsuru made a choked off sound. Argentea and Chlorophytum were still holding Strelitzia, so they couldn’t see as well, but he did hear Zorome complaining, asking Chlorophytum to move over.

“What are you saying, Doctor?” Nana looked confused as her brow furrowed with worry but her voice carried a hint of curiosity.

“Wait, you’ll see soon. Come now, Delphinium, bring them to me,” Doctor Franxx said with open arms, clearly intrigued and excited, almost childish. It was off-putting to Goro, seeing Doctor Franxx get excited over his good friend’s injuries but he complied. Goro nudged the control, but Ichigo had already started to move. Together, they lower to kneel down to the platform Nana, Hachi, and Doctor Franxx were on. Carefully, they brought Delphinium’s hands level with the platform and fully flattened them to reveal Hiro and Zero-Two. Zero-Two was laying down, wrapped around Hiro protectively. She had her back to the Doctor, and with how she was curled around Hiro they could only make out his head resting on her shoulder and the two brilliant horns had stood there.

Doctor Franxx took a step forward, and Zero-Two turned her head around and growled deeply. Her eyes looked dangerous like that of a lioness. “Now, now Zero-Two, that's no way to act,” Doctor Franxx spoke, seemingly amused at her actions as if this was a game they were playing.

Nana stepped forward soon after and leaned down in front of Delphinium’s hands. She held out her hand and spoke softly as if dealing with a corned animal, “Zero-Two, we’re here to help. We’re not taking Hiro away from you, he just needs our help.”

Zero-Two growled more softly and spoke, "I'm not leaving my Darling."

"We're not asking you to, just to come with us so he can receive care," Nana responded, somewhat more strained. Zero-Two narrowed her eyes but gave in. She stood up and took Nana's hand to help her over the Franxx, holding Hiro with one arm as if he weighed not a thing.

"Good job, Nana. Come, Zero-Two, follow us," Doctor Franxx spoke as he swiveled around and started to lead the way. Nana had her hand on Zero-Two's shoulder, whispering what Goro thought were comfortable words. Left behind were Hachi and the parasites.

Hachi was tapping away on a datapad when he spoke, "Go, dock your Franxx. Afterward, we discuss what happened and your inappropriate actions. Chlorophytum, Argentea- place Strelitzia in her normal dock, we will be running tests on her to retrieve data we could not get during the blackout." Their caretaker's voice was flat, but Goro swore that he detected a hint of stress.

Once the Franxx had been docked, all the parasites stood in pairs in front of Hachi. They all looked exhausted, worn out from the battle. There was none of the usual energy that came with a successful battle because none of them could tell if this had been a successful battle. Even if it was, it was a pyrrhic victory.

"Now, tell me what occurred." Hachi's voice snapped Goro out of thought and back to reality. Hachi was looking directly at them, Ichigo and Goro. With Ichigo being the squad leader and him being her partner, it was routine for Hachi to look to them for a record but somehow his gaze felt more accusing.

"I assessed the strength of the klaxosaur reported incorrectly, leaving our squad vulnerable. We were surprised in battle by a klaxosaur we didn't expect. Strelitzia took a heavy hit and then had changed into an unfamiliar mode, similar to stampede mode but different. She was unresponsive to our calls. When she finally stopped, we found Hiro in that state," Goro answered for Ichigo, knowing she was more exhausted than him. Piloting took more out of the pistil than the stamen after all. And, he knew she was already placing so much blame on herself, there was no need for the caretakers to do the same.

"Tell me, did you notice anything different about code 016 during battle?” Hachi asked, surprising Goro. It was unlike him to ignore the chance to lecture them on tactics and their mistakes.

"No, not until the blackout, when afterward we could not get a vocal response from stamen or pistil. When Ichigo and I when to inspect Strelitzia, we found him as he is.”

"Thank you, code 056, proceed as normal.” With that Hachi turned and walked off in the same direction as Doctor Franxx, leaving the parasites alone. A heavy silence covered the parasites. He knew what they were wondering, why hadn't he and Ichigo spoke up on Hiro condition earlier. He had an idea of why Ichigo wanted to keep the extent of Hiro's injuries under wraps, but he didn't know how to explain it in a way that would satisfy the other parasites.

Ichigo sighed turned to him and nodding. With how exhausted she must be, he did not mind taking the lead. Goro let out a heavy sigh and turned around towards the other parasites and spoke, keeping it short and simple, "We need to talk. All of us, once we get changed-we'll meet in the briefing room. I know we have a lot to explain.”


	4. Wishes and Reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ichigo and Goro struggle to answer the question squad 13 has about Hiro. Meanwhile, Doctor Franxx comes to a conclusion that draws his interest to Hiro.

Ichigo and Goro stood in the center of the semicircular briefing room, taking Nana’s typical spot while waiting for the other parasites to come in. The wall back to the changing rooms had been a tense one, with a heavy silence lacing itself between all of them. Even when battle-worn, there had always been chatter on their way back as a way to settle back into their normal selves, yet this time the only sounds were the clicking of their heels. Ichigo hated it, she knew that the trust between them had been fractured. They all had acted this way before with Zero-two, waiting until she was out of range to hear to talk about her selfish actions, and she and Goro were at the receiving end. He had just been following her lend, and now she had dragged him down with her. She could only hope she could repair the fault lines she had created.

Another thought haunted her mind, one she was trying and failing to suppress. The med team had taken him away in such a rush, even allowing Zero-two to come to save time. He had been so bloody and breathing barely visible even with Delphinium’s enhanced vision. To make matters worse, Zero-two had looked afraid. Ichigo had never seen such fear in her. Seeing her like that, fearfully and edgy, only drove home the severity of the situation. Ichigo couldn’t blame her for those feelings, she felt the same reflected in herself, and more so any pistil would be concerned with their stamen hurt- Zero-two especially with how close they were to each other. Just with how Zero-two was acting and how unresponsive Hiro had been, she couldn’t help but imagine the worst. 

A light weight on her shoulder startled her out of her thoughts in such a way that she stumbled back a few paces and whipped around to see what had touched her. What greeted her was just Goro, as she should have expected, with his hand held up but pulled back towards him, likely recoiling when she had moved so suddenly. “Oh...its just you,” she said somewhat sheepishly. “I just thought- nevermind. Did you say something?”

“Calm down, Ichigo, he’ll be alright,” Goro said softly as he moved forward slightly to bring his hand back to her shoulder. His touch was gentle and this time she didn’t startle, she welcomed the small comfort.

“Thanks, it’s just that I've never seen Hiro so hurt, even during his third ride. I didn’t get to actually see much of him then, but I could hear his pain. Now seeing him like this, I can’t help but wonder if it's a similar situation…”

“Well, if it’s like that, Hiro will just bounce right back,” Goro said, with a lopsided smile, “He’s always been one to challenge fate.” Goro paused as his face fell and he averted his eyes. “I saw him before his third ride, but he wanted me to keep his pain a secret. I found a tumor on his chest, a blue mass right over his heart. I’m...I’m sorry, Ichigo, that I didn’t tell you. I was torn trying to keep him alive and trying to keep him from feeling dead- before Zero-two, he had lost all the light in his eyes. I was trying to protect him during that battle, but he and Zero-Two were headstrong as always. But seeing him recover like that, it makes me believe in him. He will be alright, I know it,” Goro swore with a glimmer of hope in his eyes. “We have to believe in him, it’s all we can do.”

“Goro I- thank you. You’re always taking care of me, aren't you?” Ichigo said flustered, reaching to brush her bangs back the way she did when she was embarrassed. She knew knowing Hiro was hurt was as painful for him as it was for her, but even now he is still putting her first.

“You do the same, Ichigo, whether you notice or not,” Goro said with a smile and slipped his hand down to hold hers. Ichigo made no moves to stop him, squeezing it back. The feeling of his hand in hers comfortable, larger than hers and solid but still so gentle- just like Goro. She still didn’t know what she felt for Goro, but she was sure of one thing- he was her partner and he’d stay sure and steady at her side through good and bad. He would always be there when she faltered, so she owed him the same. Even these little acts were something, proof of their bond. She refused to be afraid of her feelings anymore, whatever they might be. 

She moved closer to wrap her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. She felt Goro sigh lightly and chuckle. “You’re always full of surprises, Ichigo. But right now, we have to focus on getting through this- I hear them coming.”

Sure enough, Ichigo heard footsteps and voices. She had assumed they had stopped and talked before coming due to how the pistils had hung back in the changing room, the stamens must have done the same as well since none of them came out with Goro. They were probably discussing what they thought and they were going to ask. She was not looking forward to being grilled by her teammates, even if they had brought this upon themselves, more her than Goro since he had just been compliant. 

She didn’t know what to say, how or what could even express the whirlwind of emotion she felt, she settled on squeezing back Goro’s hand and leaning further into him. They have been through hell and back together, they could get through this. They were just for teammates, after all. Goro chuckled and patted her head. As the other parasites filtered in, he separated from her- and she was thankful for that. Of course, Goro would know her limits, when she would become uncomfortable. After paying attention to her for years, how could he not? As solace, she stood close to him, nearly touching shoulders. She was confident in their bound and not afraid to show it, just some things were a little too much to do in front of the other parasites. Maybe in the future, it wouldn’t be. But for now, she could only do this, and she was grateful once more that he didn’t push her.

Ichigo decided to take the lead, being the first one to speak after everyone had gathered. She had already saddled enough on Goro because of her decisions. “Okay, We to talk about what happened out there,” she said with an air of calm far more than she felt as her teammates when to sit.

“Agreed. But Ichigo, you’re shaking,” Ikuno said concerningly as walked up to Ichigo, reaching out to cover one of Ichigo's hands with hers. Ichigo was surprised but did not flinch, she simply tried to steady herself. Ikuno was right, she was shaking. Goro always looked at her concerningly, looking like he wanted to say more but didn’t want to do it in front of the other parasites. Ichigo took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she had managed to get her hands to stop shaking "Thanks, Ikuno, but I'm okay," she reassured, "just a little shaken." Ikuno’s gaze was unconvinced, but she didn’t push further and sat down. "I think we all are given what happened," Kokoro said, looking down at her clasped hands. Around her eyes were slightly darken rings and on one side of her jaw was bruised. A pang of guilt ran through Ichigo, she had too concerned with Hiro to even notice her squadmates injuries, it didn’t matter that they were less severe, they still were important. And from what little she had heard, she could assume Kokoro had similar bruises all over her body from how long she had been pinned. It was safe to assume that none of the pistils came out unharmed. She apologized in her mind, she was supposed to be their leader and take care of them. "First of all, I'm sorry I kept Hiro's condition from you. I wanted us to stay focus and battle-ready, I couldn't be sure all the klaxosaur were gone after what had happened with Strelizia," Ichigo said, steady and calm. She couldn’t show how it made her sick to her stomach to remember or how shaken she was from her other squadmates’ injuries. She had to keep her cool as the leader. Mitsuru sighed and ran his hand through his hair, "I understand why you made that decision, but I'm not sure it was the right one." His voice was frustrated and exhausted. "Mitsuru's right, we need to be open and honest with each other to function as a team," Kokoro added, nodding. "We know, it was a lapse in our judgment. Ichigo and I thought we knew what was best, but we didn't,” Goro said steadily but clearly uncomfortable with the situation. He never did like upsetting the other parasites. “Something like this won’t happen again, I promise.” "Let's leave that alone for now. Tell us what happened to Hiro" Mitsuru said looking to the side, faking indifference. It was the mask he wore for now, and it was not her place to comment on it, especially given the situation. That was the question she was dreading because she did not know how to answer. She could barely explain what she saw. “Please, first tell me what you all saw. It will help me know where to start.” 

“Miku and I didn’t get to see anything, we were stuck with Strelizia,” Zorome pouted. She snapped her head in his direction to scold him for being childish, but the thought dropped when she saw his face. He was clearly troubled. He did care for Hiro, despite how often they get on each other's nerves. 

“As just as I hate to say, Zorome’s right,” Miku chimed in, her voice far softer and more nervous than usual. Zorome huffed in response and did not say anything, but did scout closer to Miku. It made her wonder when they would ever be upfront with how much they cared for each other. “The same when for us,” Futoshi added, with Ikuno nodding in agreement. “So that leaves Mitsuru and Kokoro, what did you see?” Goro asked with a tilt of his head. “Well, I couldn’t see much, but enough. I saw Zero-Two wrapped around Hiro, and he was bloody, so bloody a-and,” Kororo trailed off, lifting her hand to her face. Her eyes were heavy with tears. “Ichigo, Goro- will Hiro be okay?” 

Mitsuru put his hand around Kokoro’s back to comfort her and hold her steady as she tried to gather herself. She leaned into him, allowing herself to tear up while hiding in his shoulder. “It’s okay, Kokoro,” Mitsuru comforted. “Ichigo, I think I saw horns on Hiro, amidst the blood. And his blood, it wasn’t just red, was it? Like the Doctor had said?” Ichigo nodded, “Yes, that's what we saw too. Hiro had horns, just like Zero-Two. And his blood was red and blue, the same as klaxosaurs. At first, I thought it might have been Zero-two’s, but we’ve seen her bleed red like us before.” “Do you think, maybe, that Hiro is becoming more like Zero-Two?” Miku asked. “More like a klaxosaur?” “It could be so, riding with Zero-Two did cause changes before,” Ikuno responded. “He never talked about it, but that scar on his chest had to come from somewhere.” “Before his third ride, I did notice a growth on his chest, above his heart,” Goro said, “It could be like that, a symptom of riding with Zero-Two.” Ichigo hesitated before speaking, “I don’t think that’s quite right, Hiro has ridden with Zero-Two many times but we have never seen changes this drastic. And she looked so protective of Hiro when we retrieved them. I don’t think she would do anything to harm him anymore.” “It could have been unintentional, she does have klaxosaur blood,” Futoshi added. “She cares for him, I know from how she looks at him. I think she only wants the best for him.” It was a little saddening how clear it was that Futoshi spoke from experience. At his words, both Mitsuru and Kokoro glanced at each other. Goro reached up and scratched the back of his head before speaking, ‘We’ll get nowhere just guessing. Why don’t we just ask them what happened?” Ichigo considered it, Zero-two likely would be the same as they saw her before. She couldn’t be sure she would even talk to them, but it couldn’t hurt. “You’re right, Goro. She only knows what went on inside Strelizia. She might be able to shed light on the situation.” “Well, what are we waiting for, let’s go find her!” Zorome exclaimed, jumping up. “Calm down!” Miku called out, grabbing Zorome’s sleeve. “But we should go find Zero-Two, waiting around won’t do anything,” Miku responded, shrugging and standing up as well. Ichigo didn’t fight the smile that broke out at their antics, whether or not it was intentional or not Miku and Zorome did lighten the mood. “Okay, Okay, We can go find Zero-two, but we should find Nana first. She might know where Hiro and Zero-Two are- I assume they are together.” “Good plan Ichigo, that’s our leader,” Goro said patting her on the back. “We should head to the docks, we might find Nana or Hachi there. Since Strelitzia did change, I imagine they are still checking her out” Everyone seemed to be in agreement, so she started to head out. She heard the other parasites follow her. But before long she felt a hand grab her and she looked back and saw Ikuno with a worried expression. “Hang in there, Ichigo. Hiro will be okay” Ichigo smiled and responded, “Thanks Ikuno, for always being there.” She squeezed her hand back and pulled her forward. Ikuno stumbled but then got the picture and walked next to Ichigo. Ichigo let go of her hand but stayed close by. Ichigo smiled to herself, feeling like a slight fool. She was always so focused on Hiro, she tended to forget she had such a great support group. Goro and Ikuno, they were her best friends. Without them, she wouldn’t be where she was. Her mind shouldn’t be focused only on just Hiro anymore, it never should have been really. While she cared deeply for Hiro, it was clear he and Zero-Two had a certain connection that she could not enter. It was also just as clear that Hiro cared for her too, just not the way she would like. But she had other people, Goro and Ikuno were always there to support her. With them at her side, she felt like everything would be okay. 

* * *

Wires snaked from Strelizia’s face to the many monitors where Doctor Franxx loomed over, feverishly typing. He was frustrated, confused even, with his current progress- or lack thereof. After making sure code 007 was able to get code 016 properly situated and would take blood samples, he had returned to the docking ports, to his Strelizia. He had planned to manually retrieve internal video feeds and vital data on the stamen and pistil by accessing her internal database. He kept it a secret, but he should have been able to retrieve any amount of information from any franxx. He had made sure this system was prefect so those at APE couldn’t keep anything about his previous franxx away from him. He had always monitored Strelitzia in particular, after all, she was his masterpiece- possible only second to one project. However, she was rejecting him, nulling any attempts to directly view certain portions of her database. The data was not corrupted, as he first thought when Strelizia refused his advances, but he was able to retrieve data on code 002 consistently through the duration of Strelizia’s on time proving him otherwise. However, data on the stamen was unretrievable at certain points, he could not access any vital information past the point where Strelizia stopped responding to other terminals in the control room. Meaning that the franxx was simply locking him out, she had always been a feisty girl but this was ridiculous. There was data there but it was unreadable, untraceable- as if Strelizia herself was as confused as he was. Even backdoor passcodes and production codes had no avail. Not only was the untraceable data irking Doctor Franxx, but so was his Strelizia’s appearance. For the time being, Strelizia seemed to be stuck in this stampede like mode until she would be piloted again. To see such a drastic change in Strelizia was unprecedented, even when she shifted into stampede mode she still resembled herself. He had never witnessed Strelizia undergo a color change, while it was possible it theoretically possible he would have never considered it. Strelizia was created especially for code 002 and her appearance directly related to her emotional and mental state as the pistil. Such a complete change had to have been triggered in some other way than just the absence of a stamen and an excess of a negative pulse which would usually trigger stampede mode. It was something else, something new. The prospect both excited him and annoyed him, he didn’t like that she had kept such a secret from him for so long- that she was capable of this. But then again, she was confused as he was so it wasn’t exactly fair to blame her. He had to try to build some sort of conclusion given the data he had. He sent a request to Strelizia’s database to view code 002 data once again, hoping it would shed insight. Thankfully, she accepted and allowed the monitors to display vitals and pulse readings for code 002, which were pulled up holographically. Still no video feed after that same critical point, but he had to move past that lost cause at this point. On closer inspection, he noticed something odd about her vitals, midway through the battle her heart rate sharply peaked then dropped off into a slower yet steady rhythm, with her breathing doing the same. Such was conclusive to her fainting. Her pulse rating was congruent with such, as her ratings were steady until they suddenly peaked, then they suddenly dropped to zero. She must have been disconnected because even if she was connected and had fainted, there would be a slight negative pulse reading. The rating would not have been high enough to maintain a connection with the stamen, but it would still be there. Therefore, Doctor Franxx found it likely that midway through the battle code 002 had somehow become disconnected from Strelitzia and unable to reconnect due to her fainting. Such a conclusion brought up the larger question of how Strelizia remained operational without a pistil. The pistil was the bridge to connect the stamen to the franxx, without such the stamen would not be able to connect. While a franxx could operate without a stamen, she would not be able to without a pistil. That left only one possibility in his mind, there had to have been a pistil. But with code 002 fainted she could not have acted as pistil, leaving only code 016 to act as the pistil. It was a possibility, the nines had proved a male with klaxosaur blood could act as the pistil. However, 016 had significantly less klaxosaur blood within him compared to the nines who had been build from samples of code 002- which still wasn’t as pure as code 002’s. That lack of compatibility could explain the metamorphosis that took place for code 016, with his body trying to properly adapt to the situation. If code 016 was acting as the pistil, the lack of data would make sense as well- Strelizia was only configured to read a negative pulse on the pistil side, not a positive one. He hadn’t built in the ability of her to accept either signal from either end as he had for the nine models, he saw no need to. However, there was still the issue of the lost data. If, in fact, code 016 could act as a pistil- he could recreate the conditions after reconfiguring Strelizia. Strelizia was unique and highly adaptable, as needed for a pistil such as code 002, he could simply give the command to allow her to accept a positive pulse from the pistil side. That would not be difficult, the difficult part would be convincing code 016 to pilot Strelizia again, alone. If code 016’s state was similar to stampede mode, it would have had to been initiated through a highly emotional state. He could not simply command code 016 to pilot Strelizia alone, as he would likely not be able to connect to the franxx. Perhaps a better approach would be to conclusively prove if code 016 could act as a pistil or not beforehand. Being a unique case, he might very well only be able to engage in that stampede like mode and not be able to pilot the franxx with a stamen. It would make for a fascinating experiment, no matter the results. Not even the Nines were as interesting to observe as code 002, but perhaps now he had found another truly worth his time. This test team really had been worthwhile after all. Either way, he would have to configure Strelizia beforehand and prepare a proper pistil suit for code 016. The suit could be something code 008 could prepare, as Strelizia was a more important matter to attend to and it would be simple enough for him to figure out. Turning his attention back to her, he gazed upon the iron lady in her unfamiliar form. He would have to come up with a mode name for it, as he had with stampede mode. He clicked the far side of the panel he was working with to review the battled footage from Delphinium, Argentea, and Genista again. He skipped ahead to the part where Strelizia made her transformation, she looked wild, savage- as if she was desperate. Compared to the iron lady this form was unrefined, yet like in stampede, it held such raw power. How she treated the klaxosaur, it was as if she was in a rage, rampaging through them. Yes, rampage fits her nicely. 

* * *

Zero-Two hummed softly to herself as she carefully folded the paper at her Darling’s beside. He had been the one to teach her how to fold paper cranes. While he struggled to draw, he was very good with his hands. His gentle and persistent nature shone through by each carefully calculated seam. He treated the little birds in such a gentle and tender way as if they were real. She did not understand why he took such care at first, that was until he told her their stores. A thousand little cranes for a wish of your heart’s desire.

When her Darling told her his wish, he had smiled in that certain soft way that made her heart fluttered while he gave her his Senbazuru. He had said he had learned how to make paper cranes long ago, back in the garden, but he had only learned about the legend more recently. In one of the books, he had asked Papa for there was a note on the page about cranes beyond their physical features. He learned how they stood as symbols of longevity and wishes in the old world, how if you fold a thousand cranes they would grant you one wish. He went on to say as his parasite numbers kept falling and falling, he would fold more and more cranes. At first, he thought he would wish to be useful to Papa and the adults when he finished, but then she came into his life. Then he had wished that he could keep riding in Strelizia with her, but then he became her wings and realized he did not need a wish for that, that he would make it happen himself. Finally, as his senbazuru neared completion, he realized he did not have a wish. Time and time again, she had granted his wishes for him. That’s when he said he decided to give his senbazuru to her, as a gift of faith, of everything she had done for him. He was emotional as he told her, his eyes glistening with tears. At the time she, she hugged him and proudly hung his senbazuru up on her walls, a symbol of her Darling’s devotion. Her second gift, she treasured those little cranes and decided to make one in return for her Darling, to wish for him as he had wished for her.

She knew what her wish would be before she even started building her senbazuru for her Darling. Her little cranes, symbols of immortality and longevity- she wished that for her Darling. Not for her Darling to be immortal, but for their love to be. For her devotion and loyalty to him always hold strong and reach him. For him to never have to stand alone in this world again like he once had to in the garden.

A crinkle cut through the silence of the room, immediately catching her attention. She had been lost in thought, knowing the repetitive motion of folding cranes by heart, not bothering to watch her hands. Looking down now, she wished she had not felt so confident. Her crane, folded from thin peach paper, was crumpled- one wing entirely ruined. It was a simple mistake, really, and she had a stack of paper on her Darling’s bedside so she could simply start a new crane. She could disregard the broken one, but she couldn’t. She could not bring herself to set the little crane down or forget about it. With its wings ruined, it could not take to the sky. Without its wings, it could not grant any wishes.

Without its wings, it was like her without her Darling. It couldn’t fly. Her hands trembled, her thoughts racing. Nana had said it was just exhausted eating away at her Darling but he had looked so fragile. Exhausted did not explain his changes at all, would he be alright? Were they her fault once again? Had she forced her curse further onto him? She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to will the tears away. She had not been there for him, and now he might never be here for her.

Suddenly, she felt hands cup hers. Her eyes bolted open fast enough to catch her Darling lifting the broken crane out of her hands and bringing it onto his lap. Sitting up, he unfolded the crane with practiced hands and smoothed out the paper. And began to refold it. He barely seemed to even notice that the paper had been crumpled. Much faster had she could, he completed the crane. She could only slightly make out the seams of where the crane had been previously ruined. Holding his hands back out, he presented her the crane.“There we go, it just needed a little extra care- that’s all,” he spoke so softly, offering her a slight smile.

She couldn’t hold back her tears and she lunged at her Darling, wrapped her arms around him. “Darling!” she called out, she was just so glad to have him back. Even in her excitement, she was careful not to crush the little crane between them.

“Zero-Two!” her Darling laughed, hugging her tightly. “I’ve missed you too.”

“Darling, don’t ever scare me like that, please,” she trying to command, but her voice came out far too quiet and shaken to be convincing.

“I won’t, I won’t- I promise. I just wanted to protect you and our squad,” whispered back, “I never meant to make you feel that way. I promise, I’ll you’ll never have to feel those emotions again.”

“Just let me sit with you now Darling, I want to feel that you’re here, that you’re okay,” she somewhat asked, as she pressed their foreheads together. She was still awkwardly hung over him, half on the bed half off it but she didn’t care.

“Of course, come here,” her Darling beckoned, scooting over in the bed to make room. Zero-Two eagerly hopped on and sat flush against him. She would have sat in his lap if she was not so skittish of his injuries. He laid his head on your shoulder, nuzzling into her. He was leaning heavily again her- as to be expected, he was still tired. In doing so, his horns brushed the side of her neck, reminding her that they were there. She was still getting accustomed to seeing her Darling like this, but her prior feelings held true. He looked good like this, unlike on herself, Zero-Two thought the longer horns, unfilled, fit her Darling nicely. With his eyes closed, she could not see their brilliant blue but the markings around his eyes reminded her of the color. They were slightly darker than his eyes seemed to be. In this position, she could only just make out the blue ridges from his spin that climbed up his neck, they were less profound near his hairline. They mirror the ones she had long again.

A knock startled her out of her examination of his new features, her Darling perked up too. She heard Ichigo voice, muffled through the door, “Hiro, Are you awake? Do you mind if we come in?”

“Of course you can come in, Ichigo. Is the rest of our squad there too?” Hiro asked eagerly. It was nice to see him light up at the prospect of seeing his squad. They were his family, and she had come to affectionately think of them as a family the more she was around them. They had seemed to warm up more to her too, especially Ichigo despite their fights.

“Yes, we came to see you. Hello, Zero-Two, I expected to see you here too, so I brought something you might like,” Ichigo said as she pulled something out of her pocket. She walked up to Zero-Two as the rest of Squad 13 filtered in. “hold out your hand and close your eyes.”

Zero-Two tilted her head in interest at the strange request but she complied anyway. She cupped her hands and held them out, and felt something drop into them. When she opened her eyes, she sat that a few small hard candies laid in her hands. They looked to be the same kind Darling gave her so long ago. A peace offering of sorts between her and Ichigo she supposed. She unwrapped one and popped it into her mouth. It was kind of sweet, not just the candy. Zero-Two smiled at Ichigo. Ichigo was staring at her nervously and playing with her bangs as she spoke, not quite meeting her eyes, “I know you like sweets, so I thought, you know, might want some with all that's happened.

Goro stifled a laugh at Ichigo awkward off, placing his hand on Ichigo’s head, a gesture that was becoming more and more common. “Yeah, she insisted that we take a detour on her way here just to get them for you. Hope both of you are feeling better.” Ichigo huffed and blushed slightly and knocked Goro’s hand off her head. It was cute to watch them interact. Zero-Two couldn’t hold back a grin at their antics.

“Well, thank you very much, Ichigo!” Zero-Two responded, deciding to play along with Goro’s joke and put her in the hot seat. Despite everything, she was still as easy to tease.

“I-It’s nothing, don’t mention it,” Ichigo stuttered out, her checks become even more red. Hiro watched silently, smiling at his friends.

Zero-Two decided the poor girl had had enough and turned her attention to Goro, “Hi Goro, came to ask Darling something, right?”

Goro looked guilty down at the ground, “Yes, I must confess, We didn’t come here just to see you, Hiro, We have some questions as well.”

“I would expect you to, it's fine,” Hiro waved off. “I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”

“Yes, I expect you will,” an unfortunately familiar voice to Zero-Two said. The parasites startled at it, looking towards the door. There stood Doctor Franxx, his eye glimmering expectantly. “Now, tell us, Hiro, What did you do to my dearest Strelizia?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Canon is dead and I killed it, Ichigo deserves to have development with Zero-Two. I think Zero-Two more playful nature would clash and compliment Ichigo's more stern one, and also bring out her more childish side.


	5. Dance of Perennials

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Doctor Franxx breaks the news about Strelitzia's strange new form and has a request for Hiro and Zero-Two.

The other parasites silently parted to allow Doctor Franxx to enter the room. They all looked nervous, making Hiro recalled that they did not encounter the doctor as often as he did, given that his partnership with Zero-Two warranted special attention. As Doctor Franxx came closer, Hiro felt Zero-Two tense up and slide her hand into his- for her sake for his, he could not tell. At the same time, she growled slightly, narrowing her eyes and pushed herself slightly in front of Hiro, as if to protect him. Her relaxed demeanor with the parasites was gone.

“Again with that attitude? That really won’t be necessary. I just want to talk to Hiro.”

“Like hell you will!” Zero-two practically snarled. If he didn’t intervene, this could get ugly, fast.

“Zero-Two, it's okay. He’s just here to talk, that’s all," Hiro said squeezing her hand reassuringly. She gave him a wary glance but backed down. She still somewhat was shielding him with her body, but she seemed more protective than aggressive now. Hiro sighed, knowing there was a long conservation ahead of them. "Doctor Franxx, you said you wanted to know what I did to Strelitzia- what do you mean?"

Doctor Franxx hummed slightly to himself before speaking, "Hmh, I suppose that's right- you did not get to see Strelizia from the outside." He fished around his pockets before retrieving a small datapad. He then clicked it and set it on the bed in front of Hiro, a holographic image of Strelizia appeared. She looked unfamiliar, but Hiro knew her, he had felt her. Doctor Franxx cleared this voice, catching Hiro’s attention again, before speaking, "This is Strelizia in rampage mode, now I am curious how you managed to get her in such a state."

“Rampage?” Zero-Two asked, her brows furled. Hiro supposed out of all of them, she was most inmate with Strelizia, knowing her nature the best.

“Simply the name I gave to that beast he made out of Strelizia, similar to stampede mode.”

“She barely resembles stampede mode,” Hiro thought out loud, “I felt her change, but I didn’t expect her to have this much.”

"Wait, what do you mean by ‘he made’? Why are you speaking to Hiro?" Ichigo cut in. "Zero-Two should have been the one to change Strelizia."

Doctor Franxx chuckled slightly then lifted his cane to point at Hiro. "You still believe Zero-Two is responsible when Hiro looks like that?"

Ichigo looked taken back, but not satisfied, "But-"

"Ichigo," Hiro said looking downcast, not liking all the eyes on him. "He's right. Zero-two had nothing to do with it."

"W-What do you mean?" Ichigo asked confused.

"Yes, its as I said. Hiro- explain yourself. I have my own theory, but I would like to hear it from you first," Doctor Franxx responded.

Hiro closed his eyes and took a breath to center himself before starting, "When I was surprised by the klaxosaur, Zero-Two got hurt badly. She couldn't act as pistil anymore, but the klaxosaur were still out there and I couldn't abandon her or my squad. So I reached out to Strelizia and she accepted me."

"Which what you mean to say is that you acted as her pistil," Doctor Franxx continued. "I gathered from the data that Strelizia did allow me to view that Zero-Two was not active during a certain period. That is when, I assume, you began to act as the pistil in her stead. Correct, I am not?"

The room was silent with Doctor Franxx’s accusation, all their eyes bearing into Hiro. 

"Yes, you’re right. I managed to connect to her, I can’t tell you how I did because I’m not sure myself," Hiro sighed, letting out a breath he did not know he was holding. Zero-Two was looking away guilty as he spoke. Hiro wanted to reassure her that it wasn't her fault, but it felt wrong to acknowledge her voluntarily in front of so many, especially the Doctor. And besides, he did not even get the chance with the fallout of his confession.

"W-What-Hiro! What were you thinking?" Goro demanded.

"Is that even possible?" Miku muttered with a shared glance at Zorome, who shrugged in response. “Was it because of Zero-two’s blood?”

“Hiro, why would you even..?” Ichigo asked, a worried expression on her face. “Why did you just wait for help?” Even as she said it, Ichigo knew that wouldn’t have been possible. She had been out cold and the other franxx were barely, if even, holding their own

“Then, would it be possible to…,” Ikuno whispered to herself.

Doctor Franxx held up his hand for silence. When the parasites settled down, he said, "It is as I thought. And yes, the girl- Miku isn’t it?- is correct, if indirectly. Hiro carries some klaxosaur blood as well. It’s not important how, but he does. Perhaps being directly connected to Strelitzia awoken it, as I build her especially to be compatible with that blood type more so than any humans. That being said, I have a request of you, Hiro.”

“A request? What kind?”

“I want you to pilot Strelizia again, acting as the pistil. The data from your connection was unobtainable but the results were curious- your changes and Strelizia’s must be related.”

Zero-Two grip on his hand tightened and she let out a low growl, “I won’t let my Darling ride alone again, not if it’s going to hurt him.”

“I thought as much,” Doctor Franxx said as he stroked his beard, a glimmer in his eyes, “that is why I will be having you act as the stamen. It should be possible, yes? You piloted with Alpha a few times in the past, Iota.”

“Don’t call me that!” Zero-Two snarled and lunged forward. Luckily, Goro stepped between Doctor Franxx and caught Zero-Two before she made it off the edge of the bed

“Zero-Two, he’s not worth it,” Goro whispered. The low rumble in her chest continued, so Hiro reached forward and touched her hair. Gently, he patted her in the way that soothed her and she settled herself back down on the bed, squarely between Doctor Franxx and Hiro this time. When Goro saw her back down, he rejoined Ichigo.

“Feisty as ever, let’s put that fire to good use, shall we? Tomorrow we shall run a test with Strelizia with Hiro as pistil. To test Hiro’s amplitude, we will be holding a mock battle.”

“Wait, Hiro has not agreed to anything,” Ichigo countered.

“I wasn’t asking,” Doctor Franxx chuckled. Now, I’ll be taking my leave. I suggest you children rest up.”

With that, Doctor Franxx turned and left leaving an uncomfortable silence in the room.

Goro sighed, deciding to break the silence, "So...I didn't know you could do that."

"Neither did I, it was impulsive. I just knew I had to do something, anything," Hiro responded.

Suddenly Ichigo stepped forward and grabbed Goro’s hand, surprising everyone, before declaring with fierce determination, "Hiro, let us fight you."

"Huh?"

"For the mock battle, you'll need another Franxx to fight. Let Goro and I spare with you. I'm not taking no as an answer," Ichigo spoke as if it had already decided.

Zero-Two took the lead, "Thank you, Ichigo. I'd feel better fighting with you. I know you would never hurt Hiro."

"Exactly," Ichigo agreed. "Besides, Goro and I know Hiro best, meaning we would be the best to test his amplitude against."

"Then it's decided. Hiro, I'm with fine fighting against you, but don't think we'll hold back!" Goro teased. "We'll go all out, you better too. The same goes for you, Zero-two."

Hiro laughed lightly, "I wouldn't expect you too! But on the other hand, the Doctor was right, you guys should get some rest."

Ichigo made a small sound of agreement before speaking, "You too, Hiro, get your strength back."

Hiro smiled back, reassuringly, "Thank you, I will. It was a tough battle for all of us."

"Yeah, I'm beat," Miku yawned.

"I will admit it was far more testing than I expected," Ikuno added.

"Alright everyone, let's rest up. We have to be prepared for whatever comes so we aren't blindsided like that again," Ichigo said leading the way out of the room. She looked back for a second and Hiro's eyes met hers in a silent thanks. It wasn't that he disliked his other parasites, it's just that they were a little too much at times and he was tired. Unnoticed by Hiro, Zero-Two gave Ichigo a slight nod in acknowledgment as well. 

Once the door had closed, Zero-Two shifted herself so that she was facing Hiro. Careful not to put any weight on him, she trapped him between her legs and loomed over him for a second before capturing him in a hug. 

"Darling," she purred softly, comfortingly, "even now I can feel your heart race." Hiro hadn't noticed it before, but she was right. His heart was practically drumming out of his chest. "That beat, I remember it well. You're nervous about tomorrow, aren't you Darling?"

"Yeah, I suppose I am," Hiro said while lifting his arms to wrap them around Zero-Two. "I'm afraid I won't be able to."

"Pilot Strelizia? Why, Darling? You won't be alone this time, I'll be there."

"But I can barely remember how I connected to her, how I managed to change her and myself at all. And that actually fight, I can't remember a thing about it," he confessed with his eyes cast down.

"Darling, do you remember our first time riding together?"

"No, I couldn't remember a thing."

"Exactly, Darling. But you were so sure you could do it again. How is this any different?"

"I suppose...because I was with you. I believed I, we, could do anything," he remembered, looking back up to meet her eyes.

"And now you'll be with me again, you won't be alone. We'll fly together Darling," she said firmly but kind, like there was no question in her mind on the matter.

Hiro couldn't hold back a sigh of relief and clutched her close, "Yeah, you're right Zero-Two. Together we can do anything."

* * *

Sunlight filtered gently through the blinds onto the tangled limbs and sheets that occupied their temporary bed. They were completely wrapped around each other, Zero-Two had Hiro nuzzled into her chest and was stroking his back as he slept. He had been through a lot the past day, at the very least Zero-Two believed he deserved to sleep in.

However, peaceful moments never seemed to last, much to her annoyance the insistent pinging of their comms reminded her that sooner rather than later they would have to leave the warm comfort of each other. While it made her disgruntled, she still would rather her Darling not experience the rude awakening of adults dragging them out of bed. She knew that they wouldn’t hesitate to send them when it came to her, so it was the lesser of two evils. "Darling," she whispered softly.

Hiro shifted slightly, making a little sound and nuzzling deeper into her. Zero-Two couldn't help but sigh at how cute her love was. She ghosted her hand up his back to stroke his hair and tried again. "Darling, we need to get up."

At that, Hiro grumbled slightly and pulled away from her chest to gaze at her with half-lidded eyes laced with sleep. "Zero-Two," he yawned.

"Darling," she responded pressed her head to his, crossing her horns with his. She closed her eyes and simply enjoyed being close to her Darling. After a few moments, he pulled away and she opened her eyes to see him sitting up. 

He let out a groan and flopped back down swinging his arm over his eyes, "That sound is always insufferable. Zero-Two, how long have our comms been going off?"

Zero-Two propped herself up on her elbows and put on a sheepish smile, "hmm, certainly less than an hour I imagine, so it's no big deal. But I wanted to sleep in."

"Zero-Two-"

"You needed the sleep," she interrupted, sitting up fully and putting on a stern look. "You've been through a lot. And I wanted to keep you to myself for a little long, is that so bad?"

Hiro sighed, knowing he wouldn’t win and that she wasn’t really wrong. “I guess not, but I’m up now so we shouldn’t keep Hachi and Nana waiting any longer,” Hiro said, winging his legs over the edge and pulled himself up. Through the thin shirt he was wearing Zero -Two could see the slight blue ridges that crawled up his spine.

Zero-Two hummed in agreement but still was reluctant to leave the bed. She’d much rather stay in their little world than face their reality, such denial couldn’t last forever but it wouldn’t hurt to savor it for a few more moments. She wrapped her arms around Hiro and squeezed him close one last time before resigning to the fact that they did, in fact, have to leave. He leaned his head back affectionate on her shoulder and nuzzled into her neck. Surprising her, she felt a deep rumble through Hiro’s chest, coming out as a low repetitive noise- a purr.

Hiro jolted up in response, pulling away from her,” I-I’m sorry, I-I don’t know what came over me, it won’t happen again,” Hiro spat out, flustered and blushing.

“Darling, Darling, it’s okay. You’re just purring, the same as I do,” she comforted, reaching out to hold his hand.

“I can do that?” Hiro questioned with a tiled of his head. He fell silent for a second muttering to himself, “Another change I guess, odd, I didn’t realize that they would be more than skin deep.”

“Not one that I mind at all,” Zero-Two hummed. “Darling,'' she said as she pulled him around slightly so she could look him in the eyes, “Don’t be ashamed or afraid of yourself. You’re just a little more like me now.”

Hiro sighed, “Thanks, Zero-Two, it's just a little scary, having all these new things. But, I really don’t mind. I wanted to be more like you, you know- so you’re not alone.”

She smiled softly, she couldn’t imagine loving this boy more. “With you, I’m never fell along Darling. We’re jians, remember? Together we fly.”  
Hiro nodded, clasping her hand tighter, “Together.” 

Just by looking at him, she could tell she had settled him- with his shoulders relaxed and a slight smile on his face, that determined look in his eyes. They were ready to take on the world, even if it was just the two of them.

* * *

When they arrived at the docks, none of the other parasites were there. Delphinium was still there, which was odd considering they were late. Hiro supposed they must have planned to call him and Zero-Two here first, to make sure they could actually connect. However, Hachi and Nana were waiting for them, with Nana looking somewhat stern and annoyed and Hachi as stoned faced as usual. 

“You’re late,” Hachi said, tone flat as ever. Hiro slinked away a little and looked down, knowing he did not have an excuse valid. Zero-Two, on the other hand, stood tall.

“My Darling needed rest,” she announced confidently. Straight out admitting that they had just blown off their comms made Hiro blush. “You want us in peak condition for this test, correct? How could you get accurate results if my Darling’s exhausted?” she continued with all the confidence in the world.

Hachi narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to speak, but Nana interrupted, sensing conflict, “What’s done is done, let’s just not waste any more time.” She turned and nodded to Hachi to speak.

“Treat this mock battle as a real battle. It is to test Hiro’s potential as a pistil for Strelitzia, as stated before. Zero-Two has already been confirmed as able to act as stamen but has never attempted with Strelitzia. Your goal is to be able to connect and synchronize to the point where you are fit to spare with your fellow Franxx. Is that understood?’

Both of them nodded, but Hiro couldn't help being nervous. He hadn’t exactly known what he was doing during the battle, so he had barely any idea of how he would connect let alone move Strelitzia. But glancing over and seeing Zero-Two relaxed calmed him. He trusted his partner. If she believed he, no they could do it, then they could.”

Nana stepped forward towards Zero-Two, “Now then, let’s get you two changed. Zero-Two, your current pistil suit will suffice for this test. However, Hiro your stamen suit will not. Hachi has drafted up a custom pistil suit to fit your proportions, it should be able to facilitate a connection just fine.”

Nana swiveled on her heel and began walking in the direction of their changing stations and they followed. Hiro noticed that Hachi, however, slipped away in another direction. Curiously, he watched him leave his line of sight. He would have asked Nana about it but he felt they had already pushed her limits today with being late.

As they arrived at the changing stations Hiro stopped in front of the male’s as Zero-Two and Nana kept walking. As he was about to enter, he heard Nana call out to him, “Hiro, what are you doing?”

He turned back towards and hallway and nervously spoke, completely unsure, “...going to get changed?”  
“Hiro, you’ll be changing with Zero-Two this time. The stamen locker room isn’t outfitted with the equipment you need. You’ll be changing in the stall to the left of Zero-Two’s, she’ll show you.”

“Oh,” Hiro said to himself quietly. He looked at the floor blushing the entire way as he walked to meet up with Nana and Zero-Two. Zero-Two was halfway in the door, waiting for him.

“Come on Darling! Won’t it be fun to change together?” she said cheerfully with a wide smile, but her eyes gave away that she was teasing him. Unfortunately, it worked. He continued to look down as he followed her, dreading the teasing and flirting that was to come. Even though they had seen each other before, it never failed to get him flustered to change together.

As he neared the door Zero-Two grabbed his hand and pulled him in, causing him to let out an embarrassingly high pitched yelp. Once Hiro was in, The door closed automatically after them, Nana’s doing perhaps. More concerning to Hiro was that he had completely lost his balance and fell forward. Zero-two had let go of his hand and swived around, let him fall into her, then wrapping her arms around him. He landed on her, and she giggled. “What are you nervous about Darling? We’ve seen each other before,” she teased

Hiro turned his head to the side so he wasn’t face-first in her chest, “I know, I know, it's just...you’re really pretty,” Hiro said feeling his whole face burn up.

Zero-Two chuckled and patted Hiro’s head. She moved slightly so she could whisper in his ear. “Save it for later, Darling,” she purred.

Hiro just whimpered in response and nuzzled back into her, he took deep slow breaths for a few moments to calm himself down before looking up and Zero-Two again. She had the sweetest look on her face as if he was the most precious thing in the world as she continued to stroke his hair. “You good, Darling?”

“Yeah, I’m okay.”

“Then let’s get changed. Let’s not make them wait for our big debut.” Hiro smiled at her response, realizing she was actually excited. Seeing her like this helped him relax further in her arms.

Zero-Two was the first to pull away, moving towards her locker. “We’ll just share a locker for now, okay Darling?”

Hiro nodded and moved towards her as she began to disrobe. Hiro couldn’t help but steal glances at her as he undressed, each time she seemed to be smirking. Somehow, they managed to undress themselves down to their undergarments. Zero-Two turned to Hiro and presented him with two pieces some sort of thin black fabric. “Here you go darling, Hachi must have put them in here for you in preparation.”

Then it clicked what it was, and his face heated up. For some reason, it had completely when over his head that they would have to completely undress in front of each other. He shouldn’t be embarrassed, they had seen each other before but he just couldn’t help it. Hiro sighed, deciding to get it over with sooner rather than later and grabbed the underwear from Zero-Two. He was looking at the ground the whole time as he tried to get changed as quickly as possible. Then he quickly put the chest piece on, somewhat less embarrassing task. The thought that perhaps he should steal a glance at Zero-two kept surfacing throughout the ordeal but he quickly squashed it down each time. However, he did not doubt that Zero-two could guess those less than pure thoughts. When he looked up, Zero two had changed as he was, must have decided he had had enough teasing. He silently thanked her for that.

She smiled at him, and grasped his hand lightly, “Come on, Darling. I’ll show you where we get changed next. He followed her to pass the tubes similar to the ones the stamen changed in as they walked to the far end. She pointed to the last one to signal that it must be his. “All you have to do is stand still in them, just like you normally do- the machine will do the rest of the work.”

He nervously looked at the tube and sighed, it couldn’t be that bad if that was all. He had never heard any of the girls complain. So took a deep breath and walked in then turned around. Almost immediately a mechanism at the bottom of the tube started to move up and put on his pistil suit, just the same as it would for his stamen’s. He noticed that his suit was still black, instead of the normal white that the other pistils worn, and had neon blue highlights near the thighs and outlines of the and blue up his torso. As the suit reached his neck, he noticed something settle on his shoulders, He realized it must be the head equipment for the pistils. He also felt something on his lower back and then felt and snap while he yelped in surprise. Finally, he felt the feet being lifted, which he assumed was the heels that pistils were always wearing.

Hiro stumbled out, not yet used to walking in heels that high, the stamens weren’t as lifted, but Zero-Two was right there to hold his hands. “Are you okay, Darling?”

“Yeah, just felt different. And I’m just not used to the heels, that’s all,” Hiro said as they began to walk towards the exit.

She slowly guided him out of the locker room and into the hallway. Instead of going forward into the briefing room, they turned back and headed for the docks. As they walked Hiro got the hang of the heels, they weren’t as difficult as he first thought. Although he didn’t need her to help to steady himself anymore, he didn’t let go of her hand.

As they reached the docks, his eyes fell on Strelitzia. It was stunning seeing her in rampage mode in person. He had seen her as a hologram, but it didn’t prepare him to actually lay eyes on Strelitzia in such a distorted unfamiliar form. Nana waiting for them near the entrance of the docks, and walked with them as they approached Strelitzia. 

“Remember, just try to connect. Don’t force it,” Nana warned, “If you're unable to, forcing yourself past your limits won’t be beneficial to anymore.” Her words and their situation, going into a mock battle, brought to memory of how Ichigo acted towards the end of their battle- how she had forced herself to move Delphinium on her own and how much pain and distress she seemed to be in 

“You don’t have to worry about that, my Darling and I will connect just fine,” Zero-Two said, breaking Hiro out of thought while slinging her arm around his neck with a smile, and he couldn’t help smiling too. Nana just sighed and shook her head.

There were wires attached to Strelitzia’s mouth to lift them up, two to be precise. But Zero-Zero had decided she’d rather share one instead with how she wrapped her arms around his waist. Hiro didn’t mind, he liked being close to her- especially now, she was the only thing that suppresses his intense nerves. She tugged on the wire to lift them up and it had no problem supporting the two of them. Once in her mouth, they walked to the cockpit, the only familiar part of Strelitzia at the moment. The inside looked the same as always, but he couldn’t help the nervousness that bubbled up as he sat in the less familiar spot in Strelitzia’s cockpit. Zero-Two gently guided Hiro’s legs and arms in to position, matching sure he was properly set in the locks. He felt something from his thigh disconnect, the handles for Zero-Two. Before she grasped at them, Zero-Two laid her hand on Hiro’s spin. “You’ll be amazing Darling, I know it. I’m going to try to connect now, just relax and let me come to you.”

Hiro breathed in and nodded, not trusting his voice. Zero-two took that as permission and grasped the handles and initiated connecting. He opened himself up and let Zero-Two enter his mind. She was gentle, easing into his mind and letting the memories flow between them. He saw her childhood- that darkroom and her caretaker. He saw their meeting and then the aftermath, how hard she fought for him, to remember him. He saw the countless lives she took looking for the sake of becoming human for her true Darling but passed no judgment- right now, all he needed to do was accept her entirely, at her best and worst. Then there was a rush, like being submerged in warm water as he got to the recent memories that were of him, of her Darling. Even when their relationship was strained, their bond remained- fraying but never fully breaking. And he felt her there, entering deeper into his mind and within his reach. He reached out blindly, only guided by emotion, and found her. He embraced her as she did the same, and they once again became one. Without needing to ask, he felt it, their connection was strong. 

When he opened his eyes, he was no longer seeing out of his. He expected it, but the sensation still came as a surprise. The view of the dock was clear, he realized, unlike how it was piloting alone. Looking around he caught a glimpse of himself, now Strelitzia, in the reflective surface of the docks. She was sitting down, with her legs drawn up to her chest- but she looked much more like herself now. She was back to her cream color, but her highlights were that same klaxosaur blue instead of apricot. It was relieving to see her, him?, again and Hiro let himself smile.

“Darling, are you okay,” Zero-Two asked. It was different than normal as if she was right inside his head. Not unpleasant or invasive, just unfamiliar.

“Mhm, just feels a little weird- but much better than before. I feel warm all over, pleasant. Is this how piloting always feels for you?” Hiro asked testingly, seeing how speaking would feel and sound. It felt natural as if he was speaking himself, or maybe he was speaking himself- he couldn’t tell. Strelitzia’s voice came out a little deeper, more like his.

“Only if it's with you, Darling. No one else can make me feel that way. Our connection is strong and our numbers high. We can do this.”

‘Hiro, down here,” a voice called out. Hiro looked down to see Nana waving with Ichigo and Goro behind her, looking stunned. “From what I can tell your connect is good, stable. Hachi will radio us if anything seems abnormal. Try standing up now, okay? Tell us if it feels like something is damaged, repairs were somewhat difficult with her in that state”

“Okay Darling, just follow my lead.” Hiro felt Zero-Two tug at the controls and it was as if someone was gently helping him up. It felt like she was all around him, not like string on a puppet, no, rather helpful hands. It was pleasant, he wondered if all pistils felt like this. He found himself standing up with ease.

Hiro looked down and waved, “Feels natural, actually.”

“That’s our Hiro, willing to do anything,” Goro said.

“Hiro! Zero-Two! Great job! Now Goro let's get to Delphinium, can’t let them get too far ahead,” she teased.

“Yeah, Yeah, I’m going I'm going,” Goro said as Ichigo pushed on him. He glanced and yelled, “Hiro! Good luck!”

"Thanks,” he answers back before letting out a chuckle, “those two.”

“Strelitzia,” Nana called. “Pay close attention where you walk, I’ll bring you to where the mock battle will take place.

“Got it,” Zero-Two responded. “You up for it Darling?” she asked.

“Yeah, let’s go. Just help me along the way,” Hiro said with confidence, they could do this.

“Of course, Darling. I’ve got you.”

Walking wasn’t too hard, besides the occasional slightly stubble which earned a stern look from Nana. As they traveled outside of the docks he noticed they were heading to the same area where the previous mock battle had gone horribly. His stomach dropped a little.

“Darling, what’s wrong? I can feel you hesitate.”

“Ah, it's just this is the same place we had the last mock battle, where I failed to perform.”

“Don’t worry Darling, you’re with me now. I can draw out your potential.” Her words nearly mirrored what she said when she first tried to offer for them to be partners, and for some reason that settled him. He couldn’t pinpoint why, but maybe it had to do with if she thought she could do it then without knowing him then she could certainly do it now. 

Hiro breathed in deep and then out to center himself before responding, “Yeah, we got this.”

When they arrived Nana moved to the sidelines as the other parasites filtered in. They all look just as stunned that Strelitzia was up and moving again. He couldn’t exactly make out the chatter, but he didn’t mind. It was comfortable having Zero-two in his mind like this, different. Footstep caught Hiro’s attention, he looked over to see Delphinium coming over. She took her place on the other side of the arena. She looked Strelitzia up and down, taking in her differences.

Suddenly Nana commed in, “Already parasites, your weapons are on the poles next to you. Treat this battle seriously, but try not to damage each other's Franxx too much. Start whenever you are ready.”

Hiro looked over and there was a training spear on one of the poles, he reached over and grabbed it spinning it a few times. Just like in the training units.

“Strelitzia, ready?” Delphinium called out with her spears in her hand. While they had been given one longer one, she had two shorter ones, likely to mimic their real weapons.

“Darling, just relax and leave the handling to me,” Zero-Two whispered, stroking down his back- a now common gesture that never failed to settle him. “We can do this, together.”  
With newfound confidence, Hiro cried out, “Ready!” 

Strelitzia and Delphinium began to circle the other, looking for the right moment to strike. In his consciousness, he could feel Zero-Two’s desire to stay on the defensive for once, as to not put too much stress on Hiro. He felt determined to do his best for her in return. He watched Delphinium hesitate for a second and knew she was going to strike, so he tensed slightly to brace for impact. He was right, Delphinium lunged forward. He felt Zero-Two take control and prepare for them. As Delphinium hit them, Strelitzia moved to catch one of her spears head-on and pivoted to have Delphinium fall right past them. Delphinium responded fast, catching herself in a kneel and swinging her other spear back around hoping of clipping Strelitzia. Zero-Two pulled on the controls luckily in time and they slide back just before Delphinium’s spear would have made contact.

The two were once again now at opposite sides of the arena. With Delphinium in a compromised position, Hiro took charge. Strelitzia surged forward with her booster and for a second he saw the surprise in Delphinium’s eyes, but just as was to be expected from an experienced Franxx she caught Strelitzia’s spear by crossing her own in front of her just in time- trapping Strelitzia’s spear only inches away from her neck. She pushed back with such force it surprised Hiro, but with Zero-Two’s assistance, they stood their ground. 

“Ha, I didn’t expect you to put up much of a fight,” Goro commed in. Hiro knew he was just teasing, but he felt through their connection that Zero-Two took it as a challenge.

“Don’t think so little of my Darling!” she called out. “We’ll win to prove that !!”

“Don’t you think you’re getting ahead of yourselves?” Delphinium, Ichigo, said amused while thrusting her crossed spears forward, gaining a little ground and nearly toppling Strelitzia. She immediately prepared for an attack, lunging for Strelitzia in hopes of completely unbalanced her, creating an opening “Don’t count us out just yet.”

“Not so fast,” Zero-Two hissed out pushing the controls to catch them then tried to move with such force it surprised Hiro slightly, but he bore it. It was enough strength for Strelitzia to deflect Delphinium’s spears with such force, causing her to drop them, clanking on the ground on opposite sides of the arena. Right before they would have had Delphinium pinned down, she fell into a roll and swiped up one of her spears, landing in a crouch. Zero-Two growled in annoyance, “lucky.”

“I’ll show you we’ve got more than luck!” Ichigo called out with bravo as Delphinium surged forward, low to the ground, likely trying to take out Strelitzia’s legs and throw her off balance. They saw it coming, and as soon Delphinium would have impacted with Strelitzia, they widen her stance and thrust her spear down on Delphinium’s back with as much force as Hiro could muster. Delphinium cried out at the strike, but almost as soon Strelizia felt something try to pierce at her thigh. They realized the attack was a fake-out and that real goal was to grab her other spear which was now trying to force its way into Strelitzia’s thigh. Hiro ground his teeth and groaned from the pain. Hiro felt the slight ping of worry through their connect from Zero-Two as she strafed to the side to put some distance between the Delphinium and herself. although it annoyed her that she had probably done exactly as Delphinium wanted.  
Delphinium pulled herself up with her spears but stayed hunched over to a second. Hiro felt Zero-Two’s smugness, they might have played into her plan but that blow to the spine did do some damage. Hiro felt Zero-Two pull at the controls to move forward to attack her now while she’s down but Hiro resisted. He could feel her frustration, so he whispered, “That’s what they want, I have a plan- trust me.” 

Zero-Two hesitated for a second, but he felt the agreement through their connection. “Okay Darling, show me what you got.”

As Delphinium stood up, she looked over to see Strelitzia crouched down. Ichigo was confused, but before she knew it Strelitzia was gone. In a panic she whipped around, trying to find her. She felt Goro tug hard, far harder than he usually did and yell, “Above us!”

Delphinium quickly glanced up and held up her spears just a second before Strelitzia impacted. Delphinium was driven into the ground further by Strelitzia's foot with the help of her booster. Delphinium fell to one knee and grimaced as the force of Strelitzia’s body weighed down on her. Zero-Two smiled and laughed, yelling, “That’s my Darling!”

Just as Strelitzia lifted her spear to strike Delphinium while her hands were tired, a loud bang rang out. The shockwave knocked Delphinium straight off her feet, consequently causing Strelitzia to fall and land harshly on her hip. Hiro yelped in surprise, forgetting that he felt what Strelitzia felt. It made him worry about how much of a beating Zero-two and the other pistils had taken in the past.

The bang rang out again, and Strelitzia tried to find the source. He felt aggression in the connection with Zero-Two, but not towards him or even Delphinium. “I know that smell, klaxosaur,” she growled lowly. “Time to hunt.”.

Hiro startled, there was nothing else that would create such a sound but it didn’t make sense. “But why wouldn’t have Hachi contact us? Warned us? It doesn’t make sense for one to be on right on the plantation without the sensor picking it up”

“I just know what I smell, Darling. Let’s take a look,” she urged. He did know that Zero-two had heightened senses and immense familiarity with klaxosaurs from her many battles, so it was unlikely she was wrong.

Hiro was hesitant, but he moved Strelitzia to peak over the edge of the arena. Sure enough, a klaxosaur had its talons dug into the side of the plantation. The beast was bird-like, with a long beak and a huge wingspan, and with its talon dug so deeply into the plantation their size must be enormous.

Suddenly within the cockpit, Nana commed in, “Strelitzia, Delphinium, what’s going on?”

“Klaxosaur,” Zero-Two said bluntly. Immediately there was a large commotion from everyone, all confused. 

“Quiet!” Nana yelled. “Zero-Two are you sure? Hachi hasn’t commed in any disturbances.”

“I saw it, isn’t that enough. Besides, what else could be making such a ratchet?”

Nana grimaced, “I don’t like that attitude, but you’re right. I’ll need Strelitzia and Delphinium to hold it off until the other Franxx arrive. Strelitzia, in your current state you’re a liability. Let Delphinium take the lead.”

“Fine. hear that Ichigo? You’ll actually be leader,” Zero-Two teased.

“Bold of you to assume I’m not always leader,” she teased. “You’ll just be actually following my orders for once,” she rebutted as Delphinium put her hands on her hips and leaned forward with a smirk.

“Take this seriously, you two. You’ll be defending that plantation basically alone. You cannot let it enter the plantation and do more damage,” Nana reprimanded.

Ichigo blushed slightly at the suggestion that she was the one being immature, which just caused Hiro to laugh, “Don’t worry Nana, we’ll hold it off. Got a plan, leader.”

“A working one, yes. I’ll tell you on the way,” Delphinium said as she used her thrusters to launch off of the platform. Strelitzia followed suit. Both franxx dropped their sparring weapons and replaced them with their actual weapons. Strelitzia reached to her back where her Queen Pike was stored, and Delphinium reached to her thighs where her Envoy Shops were similarly stored. 

“Those children,” Nana grumbled, “hopefully there will be no more surprises.” However, she couldn’t stop thinking about Hachi. In the control room, he had visuals of the plantation, a klaxosaur shouldn’t have been able to get that close without him seeing it. It didn’t sit right with her, none of the recent events did- but all she could do was hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the long wait. this chapter still needs so editing but I thought I should get it out there since you guys have been waiting so long
> 
> Housekeeping Edit: I would like to explain Doctor Franxx's behavior with names. So in his head, he refers to all of them by their code number, as seen before. However when speaking he used the nicknames of Squad 13 in an attempt for them to be more open to him, specifically Hiro and somewhat for Zero-two. However with Zero-two, he tends to mix up Zero-two and Iota depending on what he's speaking about. Sometimes it is intentional, sometimes it is on accident. It's your choice as if he did it on purpose or not in your own reading.


	6. Reprise, yet Revision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Delphinium and Strelitzia hone their teamwork as they take on the current klaxosaur threat. While they do missteps and encounter some unexpected developments, they survive only to realize a bigger challenge awaits them back at their Homebase.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! I ended up running into some personal problems and with school starting this chapter just kept getting pushed back, but from here on out updates should be fairly regular.

Hachi watched another message came in from Nana, and ignored it as Doctor Fraxx directed. Hachi knew that once the klaxosaur had been defeated and the chaos that always followed afterward had settled, Nana would confront him with her accusing glare and demanding questions. Telling her that the doctor had ordered the alarms off wouldn't satisfy her, only anger and confuse her. She really was too attached to those children, it had impaired her devotion to orders. The doctor hadn't told him exactly what to say to her, except that he mustn't yet reveal that such actions were to test code 016's combated ability as pistil. The doctor continued, explaining that he had only revealed such to Hachi so that he could monitor code 016 for him in his absence. Therefore, he had come to the conclusion that simply telling her all alarms were nonfunctional, damaged from the previous battle for the Gran Carvesse, was the best course of action to defuse the situation and not raise suppression.

Hachi did not know why the Doctor had told him to turn off the plantations remaining alarms, or why he had been given orders not to notify Nana when the klaxosaur appeared, or even how Doctor Franxx knew the klaxosaur would appear. But none of these were questions Hachi would ask, he would simply obey. Unlike Nana, he knew his place and had no desire to rise above it. In fact, such an idea had never entered his mind.

However, Hachi was just a man, a human, and humans are curious by nature- no amount of conditioning or selective genetics could rid humans of one of their most basic instincts. The whole situation invoked many variables that raised curiously, but what was most curious to Hachi was that the Doctor had told him he would have departed by morning to head to plantation 001. What only added to the curiosity was that plantation 001 was dedicated solely to franxx development and production. To depart by morning, Doctor Franxx must be ignoring standard procedures for the departure of someone of his statute. Also, his destination, plantation 001, was in the process of being decommissioned as it was only used to produce elite franxx and no more nines were being issued under the orders of Papa.

Hachi could not say why Doctor Franxx would leave the Gran Crevasse when Papa’s aspirations were within reach, and despite trying to the best of his abilities he could not help but wonder if it had to do with the current passing of events.

* * *

Delphinium ran sideways up the dommed walls of the plantation, eyes trained on the klaxosaur. It took some focus to stay balanced and not fall, but with Goro’s careful handling she managed to stay upright. They had to be extra careful with their footwork, as there were cracks and wounds in the plantation walls everywhere.

“So Ichigo, what’s the plan?” Zero-Two commed in as they caught up and fell in line with Ichigo, a few paces behind. It was odd to have Strelitzia actually following her, seemingly ready to follow her orders. She smiled silently to herself, Zero-two was slowly but surely integrating herself into their squad. She couldn’t imagine squad 13 without her.

Ichigo snapped back to the current matter at hand, examining the klaxosaur, looking for a weakness, an opening, The klaxosaur was rather close to a bird in shape, except for its oversized head consisting mainly of a huge beak. It was rather large but it looked thin, with its wings taking up much of its body mass. The klaxosaur was perched right below the most damaged part of the plantation’s dome, leaning over so most of its head was inside of the plantation's dome. Its wings were spread out on either side as if to balance it. With how it was positioned now, it seemed to be unaware or uncaring of the approaching Franxx, not bothering to look away from its current task, whatever that might be. That was their opening, and Ichigo intended to take full advantage of it.

“Let’s create a cut in the closest wing, try to throw it off balance and get its attention on us. Right now the plantation is completely exposed, Our main objective to draw its attention. Once we have it, we’ll find the core.”

“Ooooo, it seems like you’re planning on not need the rest of your squad for this one. Big aspirations, leader,” Zero-Two teased.

Delphinium looked back smiled and said, “Best to prepare for the worst, isn’t it? Hiro, Zero-Two, think you can manage?”

“Yeah, we’ll follow your lead,” Strelitzia replied, but she could hear some strain in Hiro’s voice behind her. It wasn’t exactly unexpected, the first few times Ichigo piloted a franxx had taken a lot out of her, even with just the simple exercises- but it still concerning on a personal and professional level. She didn't want Hiro to get hurt, but she also needed the other franxx in top shape if they were to defeat the klaxosaur with just the two franxx. She couldn’t think of a better plan that she had already proposed, so she would just try to finish this fast and hope for the best.

Zero-Two was about to confirm confidently that of course, they could handle it- but then she noticed Hiro was sweating and his breathing was slightly labored. She had already felt the strain in their connection as well. She couldn’t recall how it felt to pistil for the first time, it had been so long ago, but it worried her nonetheless. She didn’t want to strain him more than necessary. “Wait, Darling,” she spoke quietly so the comms wouldn’t pick it up, only to Hiro as she ran a hand down Hiro's back as if to calm him, "Don't strain yourself more than you must. We'll get through this, fast. I promise" 

Hiro simply nodded in response, which only worried her more. This wasn’t like her Darling. Through their connect, he tried to reassure her but he couldn’t hide the stress than piloting like this was putting on him, he just wasn’t used to it. Zero-Two searched her mind, trying to think of something else they could do, that would put her Darling out of the way of danger and be a light load on him. “Ichigo, new plan. One will act as a distraction and other with go for the cut. That will throw the klaxosaur off balance giving us enough time for the rest of our squad to arrive,” she called out. It wasn’t the best plan, but it was the best she had. Zero-Two hoped Ichigo would pick up her hidden meaning.

Delphinium made a sound of protest for a second before Goro commed in before Ichigo could say anything, "I agreed. Ichigo, we have to treat Strelitzia as an inexperienced Franxx for now." Zero-Two grimaced slighted at Goro’s sharp remark, Zero-Two could help to have her pride be slightly damaged- after all she had been a pistil for far longer than any of them.

Ichigo was silent for a second but then responded, "I understand, Goro, Zero-Two, thank you. Hiro, I want Strelitzia to act as a distraction while we go in for the cut. Understood?"

Zero-Two sighed slightly in relief, they could handle being a distraction- all they had to do was get its attention, then wait. She trusted Ichigo to protect not only Hiro, but herself too. “Understood,” she called back. She let go of the controls for a moment and placed on of her hands on the small of Hiro back and traced the other one from his shoulder down his back, “Is that okay, Darling?” She spoke softly, in the way she only ever did when they were alone together, she couldn’t care less if the commed had picked it up or not- she just wanted to comfort him any way she could.

Hiro let go of some tension at her touch, grounding him slightly. He trusted Zero-Two to get them through this. While she was usually pistil, he trusted her to know his limits."Got it, Zero-Two, let's go," Hiro said in a slightly strained voice. He had been trying to avoid speaking in fear that his voice would break. To Zero-two, it was clear he was trying to hide it but she could feel his anxiety through their connection. It would only make him more anxious to call more attention to him So, in response Zero-Two reached out with her mind, imagining her psyche cradling Hiro’s. She would keep him safe.

Together, they prepared themselves as Strelitzia surged forward overtaking Delphinium then made a sharp turn upwards. Hiro relaxed slightly into zero-two hold, letting her guide Strelitia’s motions. Right before Strelitzia reached where the plantation's dome had crumbled, she crouched down and engaged her thruster, projecting her up into the sky. As she fell Zero-Two maneuvered her Queen Pike in front of her and used Strelitzia’s weight to stab it deep into the klaxosaur neck as she made her landing. The beast jolted in surprise and tried to throw her off, but Zero-Two was already ahead of it. She used the klaxosaur’s flailing as momentum and flung herself over its head, twisting around just in time to land on the edge of the dome. The klaxosaur now was reared back as if to strike her. Zero-Two made no moves to move, she held her ground. Hiro was panting heavily now, but he had been able to keep up with Zero-two commands. They had completed their task, now all they had to do was steel themselves and stay put when the klaxosaur would lunge forward towards them.

Meanwhile, Delphinium was moving swiftly, completely undetected. She swung around to be underneath one of the klaxosaur’s wings just as it began to lunge towards where Strelitzia stood. She stabbed her Envy Shops upward and engaged her thrusters. The klaxosaur screeched out as she forced her way through its right wing. With how thin it looked, she hadn’t expected there to be so much resistance. Goro was giving her his full support through their connection, allowing her some ease. She grit her teeth and bore the stress on her joints and continued onwards.

Zero-Two smirked as the creature screeched out in pain and began to sway, unbalanced and surprised. As it swayed, she saw the core- it was placed directly in the center of its chest, buried not deep at all. She knew it wasn’t part of the plan, but she couldn’t help but think it was a perfect opportunity. She felt Hiro tense through their connection, he saw it too. She felt him bring Strelitzia into a crouch and she followed suit, not fighting against his will. Just as Hiro readied Strelitzia to attack, the klaxosaur’s form shifted. Abruptly, the klaxosaur’s left wing and what remained of it’s right each split into three individual tendrils. Before either Strelitzia or Delphinium could move, the klaxosaur spun around and turned itself towards Delphinium. She cried out in surprise and pain as two of the tendrils wrapped tightly around her and squeezed. She tried to escape its grasp but it was too firm, her Envy Shops pressed uselessly to her side. The rest of the tendrils enclosed around Delphinium, blocking her from view. The klaxosaur, now with nothing to counterweight its upper mass, fell backward into the plantation disappearing from Strelitzia’s sight with Delphinium in its grasp.

Zero-Two sat stunned for a moment before snapping back to attention. She immediately tugged on the controls, trying to make Strelitzia follow them into the plantation, but she was met with unexpected resistance, she couldn’t make Strelitzia move. She felt intense ripples throughout her connection with Hiro, quick spikes of his emotions, his distress, interspersed with what was an overwhelming white nose. She knew this feeling, however, she usually wasn’t on the receiving end. As her stamen neared the end of their usefulness to her she would feel their connection weaken and white noise grows as she took over the connection, shifting Strelitzia into stampede mode. But neither of them were injured, there was no need for Strelitzia to change forms. “Darling-,” she started before she was hit with a shock of white noise that overtook her whole mind with such force that she let go of the controls and clutched her head. She could barely see, but she made out the back of Hiro’s outfit, the reading that positive pulse was rising to a dangerously high level. She tried to reach out for him but she could barely move her hand. It was if Hiro wasn’t only just paralyzing Strelitzia, but paralyzing her as well.

Hiro couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t move, he couldn’t think. It was happening again, he was watching his squad be ripped away from him. Ichigo and Goro, his two closest friends who were with him since the beginning, they were out of his grasp. He had to save them, he had to protect them. Strelitzia reached for him, her core a wild flame urging him to let her rage free, to plunge himself deeper and let her grasp his psyche. He needed her power, he had to save them. It felt like he was out of control as she consumed him, his body growing hot as her flames licked around his mind until they engulfed him fully. Every fiber of his being, every corner of his mind screamed out in pain, It hurt, it hurt, but he had to- he had to save, he had to protect them. No one else could, only Strelitzia could take on klaxosaurs alone. It had to be him. 

He felt her body, his body, contort into that now-familiar shape. He knew it was happening again, but he did not have the power to stop it- he did not know if he even wanted to stop it. If releasing Strelitzia's bestial form was the only way to reach them, then so be it. He would plunge into the depths of hell to protect his squad, to never allow himself to stand by helpless as he did as a child. Black and blue blossomed across Strelitzia as she resumed her rampage form, her claws digging into the plantation walls as Hiro endure the pains of the transformation.

Strelitzia suddenly lunged down into the chasm. The once shining city inside the plantation had dulled, its grey reflecting how dead the city really was. Its magma energy nearly depleted, allowing the darkness of the fading dusk to flood in. Even in the shadows, the contours of klaxosaur glowed like a sapphire beacon for Strelizia to hone in on like a savage predator. As she dove down, Hiro saw as the beast landed on its back onto already crumbling buildings. It became to unwrap its tendrils slighting and craned its head down to peak down where Delphinium was trapped, ready to tear her apart and consume her magma energy. Before the klaxosaur could gouge into his precious friends, Strelitzia twisted herself upwards so her tail was facing downwards in an attempt to pierce into the klaxosaur and stop its advance. She crashed right into the klaxosaur's beak just in time, shattering its upper jaw and embedding herself tail into its lower. The klaxosaur's flinched in surprise, dropping Delphinium to now focus on the current threat that Strelitzia posed. The klaxosaur tried to scream out, either to threaten her or in pain, but the blood flooding into its throat caused it could come out as a repulsive gurgle. As Delphinium fell, both Ichigo and Goro got their bearing just in time to catch a glance Strelitzia in her current rampage mode before she disappeared beneath the klaxosaur's tendrils as they wrapped around its beak in an attempt to crush her.

Hiro cried out in pain as Strelitzia was forced flat by the surprising amount of strength the klaxosaur must have gathered out of fear and anger. Hiro strained, trying to get up but with his strength alone he could not manage. He supposed it was okay, he had prevented Goro and Ichigo from being consumed at least. With the cause of his rage dissipated, Hiro’s connection to Strelitzia started to fade. He couldn’t focus, couldn’t maintain his determination as his psyche started to fade as the pain continued to flood his body.

All the while, Zero-Two was trying to force her away through the white noise in their connection, as weak as it may be. In a moment of pure faith and determination, she finally broke through grasping the fraying strains of their connection, not willing to let it fade. She felt him, his pain yet relief- his resignation, but she would never accept that. She would never let her Darling go, her Darling would be with her until the end and they still had the world to explore and their place claim, to carve out a home where they could be free of the restraints tying them to the ground. She would remind him of the wings upon their backs, that they could fly, that this was not the end. With all her might, Zero-Two reached out to Hiro, her heart and mind bore fully. She would bring him back to her, she would never let him feel alone- like she had all those years before she found her darling again. Just as she had found him then, she would find him once more.

Suddenly, something deep within Hiro’s mind awoke. He felt something, someone, urging him from the deep waves, begging him not to go under. He heard the voice, muffled and distant but so familiar. Struggling, he reached out and he felt her grasp him. In an instant, color bloomed- gentle pinks of adoration and deep reds of passion- and he knew it was her. Her emotions flooded their connection, her presence wrapped around him cradling him in the warmth of her love, so gentle compared to Strelitzia's wild scorching flame but just as powerful, even more profound. How could he have forgotten? He wasn't alone, she was right there beside him this whole time. He hadn't realized he had been a fool, that he had been blocking her out, his other half. He once again opened his soul to her, her overwhelming presence taming Strelitzia’s cruel flame. Both himself and Strelitzia allowed her negative pulse to flow through them, just as powerful as his positive. Together, they reached equilibrium and Strelitzia herself seemed to relax, revealing her true form once more. Hiro breathed out, feeling tears fall down his face as he was overwhelmed with emotion. Her weight was on his back, her arms around his chest and her head turned into his shoulder just as he once held her as she tried to fight alone- cradling him as he came back to her. He relaxed into her hold, and smiled as he turned his head to nuzzle into hers, their horns pressed together in a sign of affection that was uniquely theirs. Their connection grew stronger, once again solid- they were once again together and interwoven, they were each other's. Right then, Hiro felt as if he had never been alone.

Zero-Two released him and sat back, but her presence remained around him through their connection as their souls intertwined, once again in resonance even stronger than before. She wrapped her hands around and controls and with their combined strength, Strelitzia lifted herself into a kneel and reached out for her spear, still embedded into the klaxosaur. She grasped it with both hands and forced it down with all of her might and switched her thrusters to point downwards. With her sudden show of strength, the klaxosaur lower jaw finally gave and shattered, with her momentum piercing through its tendrils to free herself.

Delphinium flipped around just in time to not completely crash and made a rough landing, sliding a decent way back among the wreckage of the city, having to use her Envy Shops to dig into the ground and catch herself. She stood frozen from a mixture of surprise and worry consuming both of her pilots. Neither Goro or Ichigo could stop their minds from racing or force themselves into action, and their connection feeding back to each other just exasperated this. They had never even considered that their attempts at thwarting back the klaxosaur would turn out this poorly, even with only having themselves and Strelitzia available. First, to be caught off guard by the klaxosaur and then to see Strelitzia not only rampaging once more but to get trapped in an even worse position than they themselves had been. They couldn’t help but fear the worse for her. However, their worries were relieved as they saw a familiar golden glow flood out from the slits in the klaxosaur’s tendrils and then to see the tendrils bow out as Strelitzia burst through them with her Queen Pike glowing burning bright. After she had pierced through the klaxosaur’s grasp, its tendrils flew back, forced away from Strelitzia's sudden burst of energy. With the tendrils out of the way, Delphinium could finally see the klaxosaur’s core resting shallowly in its chest.

Both Ichigo and Goro snapped into action, their minds alining knowing what they must do to prevent further damage. The plan had already been deviated from, they might as well scrap it completely and improvise- after all, being able to adapt is key to leading. Destroying the klaxosaur’s core was the best option, they could no longer try to hold it off until the rest of their squad came considering they couldn’t be sure of the state that Strelitzia was in and they only had a short window of time until their opening closed. Ichigo let Gorp take the controls, concentrating fully on devoting as much power to her booster as possible as he got Delphinium into a running start. Together they jumped with as much force they could manage, projecting themselves upwards. Delphinium pointing both of her Envy Shops parallel to her body, held out in front of her head. Briefly, she crossed gaze with Strelitzia as she rushed passed her giving her a little nod, then placing her entire focus on the klaxosaur. She tore into its skin fairly easy and with one final push pierced into the core, shattering it and forcing her way through the other side of the klaxosaur. Its body imploded on itself, raining down harmlessly and coating the city below in blue.

This time, Delphinium caught herself with ease and spun around to rush to Strelitzia. They were able to see just as Strelitzia landed rather roughly on the ground with her Queen Pike still in her hands, catching her and preventing her from falling backward. Goro and Ichigo collective breathed out a sigh of relief as they saw Strelitzia standing in front of them, thankful that Hiro and Zero-two must be okay. That was until Strelitzia let go of her Queen Pike and fell forward onto her hands, her back curled over and heaving as she panted. “Strelitzia!” both Delphinium and Goro cried out as they ran over to her. Once Delphinium reached her, she crouched down in front of her, laying one hand on her shoulder to steady Strelitzia's heaving shoulders and clasping the other and lifting it so Strelitzia was facing her. “Hiro, Zero-Two- what happened,” Ichigo asked near breathlessly, barely masking her panic.

Strelitzia’s eyes had been closed as she panted, she weakly opened them then a shaky spoke with Hiro inflection, flashing a slight smile, “Thank god you two are okay.”

“What?- Hiro! Forget about us, what about you two? Are you okay?” Ichigo snapped, not quite meaning to be so harsh. She took a deep breath to center herself and spoke again, softer, “We saw Strelitzia, that she had changed forms again. We didn’t know what happened.”

"Zero-Two was with you, so why did Strelitzia…" Goro questioned, trailing off as he spoke more to himself than the other parasites.

“I do really know myself what exactly happened,” Strelitzia said looked away as she spoke. Herr face only expressed Hiro’s confusion, but both Ichigo and Goro knew Hiro too well and could pick up the signs of self-doubt even self-hatred in Strelitzia’s voice.

Within Strelitzia, Zero-two settled her hand on Hiro’s back and curling the other in his hair, trying to comfort him. There was no need for him to be so hard on himself. It was a little hard to exactly recall but seeing him like this made her remember than something similar had happened to her. “I think...I think I might know what had happened,” she commed in, her voice lacking her usual confidence.

“You do, please tell us,” Ichigo urged. “We need to know if this will happen again. You two are part of our squad as much as any of use, but with Hiro being so..volatile, we need to be ready.”

“It’s not his fault!” Zero-Two retaliated protectively.

“Zero-two its okay, Ichigo wasn’t saying it was. We just need to know what happened. We care about you two, we want to help,” Goro gently replied, trying to calm her down, but he spoke completely honestly.

“Yes, sorry, I just- it doesn’t matter,” Zero-two uncharacteristically stumbled over her words. “I think something similar happened to me when I first got Strelitzia. It’s hard to remember exactly, but I know that even with my stamen I was nearly always in stampede mode. I think it was because my urge to defeat klaxosaur to become human became so overwhelming that I shut my stamen out even they could provide a high enough positive pulse. Actually, you guys saw it happen before with my Darling, unfortunately. I think something similar happened to him, he unintentionally shut me out for a time and I couldn’t reach him. He must have had that overwhelming need as I did- but I don’t think it was to become human.” 

Zero-two paused, deep in thought, before speaking again, “I think I might know what it had been. But Darling, I want to know what you think first.”

Hiro thought about what Zero-Two had told them, about feeling such an overwhelming need or emotion to the point of hijack control of Strelitzia. He thought about right before Strelitzia had transformed, and it came to him. “Yes, I think I do. I don’t particularly want to kill klaxosaur- actually I never really had, I just wanted to be able to pilot a franxx. But anyways, when I saw the klaxosaur attack Delphinium I was-I was so scared. I was afraid you guys were gone, that I couldn’t help you, I just wanted to protect you two and I couldn’t stop dwelling on it and then…”

“I understand, Darling. Thank you, that helps,” Zero-two said gently directed at Hiro. 

She spoke up as she commed into Delphinium, “That’s basically what I thought too. Hiro is always wanting to help the rest of our squad out and protect them, I imagine that’s what put him into overdrive with Strelitzia’s encouragement. She was made for me, and Doctor Franxx knew I wouldn’t be able to keep a stamen for long, so he built her to be more adaptable to functioning alone.” Before continuing, her voice dropped into a grow, “Actually, I wouldn’t put it past him to have built her to encourage solo functioning.”

“I think I understand, and I don’t think it will be much of a problem,” Goro said, nodding to himself.

“Really? What makes you say that?” Delphinium said surprised. As much as she wanted to blindly trust Hiro, she couldn’t at the expense of their squad.

“Well, Zero-two pilots with Hiro just fine normally. I think just being aware of what can happen, they can keep each other in check. Just like Hiro usually does for Zero-two,” explained Goro.

“That’s right,” Zero-Two chimed in, “Darling will be just fine, it's my fault for not considering this might happen. From here on out, we should be okay.” Zero-Two paused and smiled to herself before continuing, “I’ll take care of him Ichigo, just like I promised.”

Delphinium smiled, and Ichigo overcome with emotions- feeling such kinship with the three of them- couldn’t help but bring Delphinium in to hug Strelitzia. “I’m just glad you two are okay,” she said softly, tearing tailing down hers and Delpinium’s face.

The motion completely surprised Zero-two but it was sweet nonetheless. However, she didn’t have it in her to let such a prime teasing opportunity pass by. “now, now leader, don’t be going soft on us,” she said lightly, getting a chuckle out of Delphinium as she reached up to dry her tears as she pulled away. “But really- Ichigo, Goro- we’re both glad you’re okay, too,” Zero-two genuinely added. Delphinium smiled back at her, and Zero-two had no doubt in her mind that Ichigo and Goro knew she truly meant it.

Suddenly completely killing the moment Nana commed in, “Children, I’m sorry! The other Franxx are ready to launch now. There was an issue with the franxx locks, they wouldn’t respond to our signals so we had to manually unlock all of them. What’s the situation?”

“Um, there’s no need to launch the other franxx- we already defeated the klaxosaur.,” Ichigo responded.

“We’ll be right there- oh, I, okay. Well, return to the docking bay at once,” Nana commanded awkwardly before comming out. They all were silent for a moment, not sure what to make of the sudden interruption.

“Delphinium, I don’t think we can make it back on our own, would you mind giving us a hand?” Hiro asked, breaking the silence.

“Huh? Oh! Of course!” Ichigo responded. She tucked Delphinium underneath Strelitzia’s arm and stood them up. Then suddenly ducked down and swiped strelitzia’s knees from under her and pulling her up into her arms.

Strelitzia let out a noise of surprise before Hiro’s mind caught up to what was happening. “Um, not that much help, guys."

“Now stop acting so tough, Hiro, just let us help,” Goro reprimanded but there wasn’t the slightest hint of malice in his voice. From behind him, he heard Zero-Two giggle, that traitor. Resigned, Hiro sighed and wrapped Strelitzia’s arms around Delphinium’s neck. “Now that’s more like it,” Goro teased as Delphinium began to make her way towards one of the exits in the city.

They spend the trip back to the docking bay in a comfortable silence, neither parties had much to say as they began to process what had just happened on the battle. And more pressingly, what was happening now- Hiro had to admit, it was kind of nice to be carried, which of course Zero-two just had to pick up through their connection and resumed her giggling. However, Hiro didn’t have it in him to be annoyed at her. On the other hand, Ichigo was thinking to herself that there was something pleasant about carrying Strelitzia- and in extension, Hiro- even if she wouldn’t admit it out loud. Goro full-heartedly agreed, thinking the same thing simultaneously.

When they arrived back at the docks, the rest of their squad and Nana was waiting for them- fortunately or unfortunately. It was an understatement to say they got some look of surprise that Delphinium was carrying Strelitzia, who likely the strongest of them and most definitely the fiercest of them on the battlefield. When they all collective remember that it was Hiro who was pistil rather than Zero-Two, it clicked. The idea of a franxx carrying another franxx was funny and absurd in itself, but the idea of Ichigo carrying Hiro, who had a good ten centimeters and on her, was hilarious. 

Delphinium reluctant let Strelitzia awkwardly climb out of her arms and they both went to their docking stations. Through Zero-two’s carefully handling, they managed to get Strelitzia safely in her dock. As Sterlitzia settled and began to go offline, Hiro began to slowly pull his mind away from Strelitzia. Unlike when she went into rampage, she didn't see to cling onto him, allowing him to gently break his connection with her and Zero-Two. Simultaneously, he felt Zero-two slowly recede from his mind as he would normally do. It was an odd feeling, it was as if all the warmth was being sapped from his body. When their connection fully broke, Hiro sat up and told a ragged breath. It was as if all his exhaustion from the battle hit him at once, he wondered if this was how it was with all pistils. The girls definitely handled it more elegantly than he did if that was the case. 

Hiro felt Zero-two place a hand on his shoulder. Hiro turned his head and saw Zero-two smiling at him sweetly, with the other hand held out towards him. “Darling, are you ready?” she said softly. Hiro smiled back through his exhausted and took her hand. She pulled him up and surprised him, pressing him up against her and stealing a quick kiss. She pulled back a little and smirked at him before spinning him around once more so he was leaning against her side. He just let himself be maneuvered around by her, he couldn’t say he didn’t like it when she took the lead like this. Pressed up against her, they made their way out of Strelitzia. 

As Delphinium settled in her dock, her pilot's peeled their minds away from each other’s with practiced ease. Once there connection fully dissipated, Ichigo sat up and turned to Goro- concern flooding her features. She began to open her mouth, but before she got the chance to speak Goro reached out and put a hand on her head. Ichigo made a noise of confusion- by now the gesture had become familiar but she still couldn’t figure out exactly what it meant. She was about to express her annoyance before once again Goro beat her to a speaking, “Ichigo, calm down. You’re tense,” he said with a small lopsided smile.

Ichigo was about to bite back but then stopped and took a second to breathe- he was right, she was tense. She let her shoulders fall and tried to ease her mind. “It’s just in Strelitzia, both Hiro and Zero-two sounded so tired- I’m worried about them.

“I know, I could feel it. I am too, but getting worked up won’t help. But I know Hiro, he doesn’t like to make a scene even when he should. We can offer them help, but we can’t rush in like that.”

Ichigo considered what Goro said, mulling it over. As much as she wanted to crowd Hiro and check him over, that would just make Hiro feel more self-conscious. She didn’t want to make him more self-conscious than he already was, even if he didn’t voice it she figured the sudden changes in his appearance must make him at least slightly self-conscious. Also, she could pick up in Goro’s voice that she was just as concerned as she was- he might have been speaking to her but she was almost certain it was a reminder to rein himself in as well. Finally, Ichigo sighed with slightly chuckled, “That fool...but you’re right- that’s exactly how Hiro is. I’m ready now, let’s just go over and talk.”

“Yeah, no need to keep them waiting any longer,” Goro said with a nod.

Together, they made their way out of Delphinium- but the second they got out the air felt tense. They both looked over to where Strelitzia was and immediately knew what was wrong. Hiro and Zero-Two had gotten out of her, but blocking them from moving any further was Doctor Franxx. Even at a distance, they could see the confrontation becoming heated, at least on Zero-Two’s end. She was slightly in front of Hiro, shielding him from the doctor. Hiro himself looked to be slightly hunched over with dark circles under his eyes- his whole demeanor seemed exhausted and ashamed. Previous notions were thrown out the window as Ichigo and Goro ran to where they were, picking up the conversation as they got closer and skidded to a stop a few paces behind the doctor.

“Strelitzia’s as much of a beast as Zero-two is, it’s no wonder you couldn’t handle them- although you had shown promise,” Doctor Franxx said almost in a bored tone.

At that, Zero-two’s features became dangerous and her eyes darkened. “My darling handles me just fine,” she growled out as her fingers dug into her palms. Hiro reached out for one of her hands and pried it open, not wanting her to hurt herself. When she realized what Hiro was doing she relaxed her hands, but she held the same intimidating nature. 

Doctor Franxx chuckled at Zero-two’s response, feeling as if she was just proving his point by reverting back to threatening. Hiro’s eyes darted between Zero-two and the doctor as he spoke, “Please, just give us another chance. I can do it right next time.”

“Letting you remain here is giving you another chance, as you put it, but you will not connect to Zero-two again until you can control yourself.”

“How is that fair!?!” Zero-two yelled, hers self resistant breaking. “I was the same way before I found my Darling! I couldn’t keep Strelitzia in her natural form for long at all, in that way he did better than me! And he did better this time, he remembered what happened and was more aware, he was able to come out of the rampage state! We even know why it happened! If you don’t trust us around the other Franxx just give us solo missions, we can handle this- we can learn!”

The doctor raised a finger to his chin as he spoke, “The solo missions is not a bad idea, it's exactly what I intend to do. Hiro, you’ll need more practice to be able to pistil effectively. That is why you will be assigned under the supervision of the Nines. I send it a request with Papa when we first made the discovery of Strelitzia’s other form, and he has agreed to allow the Nines to teach Hiro. Zero-two, you will continue to be assigned with squad 13”

At the doctor’s words, Zero-two’s rage boiled over and she lunged at him. Hiro tried to grab her shoulder to stop her but she easily pulled out of his weak grasp. Just as she was about to reach Doctor Franxx, who she fully intended to tear apart for forcing her apart from her Darling and even suggesting that he should be involved with the nines, Ichigo and Goro rushed in to catch her. They each had caught one of her shoulders and were now pushing back with all their might, barely holding her back. Doctor Franxx looked unamused and turned to walk away, having no need to continue the conversation. This only caused Zero-two to redouble her efforts, not wanting him to get away

“Zero-Two stop! It won’t do anything!” Ichigo cried out straining against her immense strength.

“It will just make things worse! Don’t hurt him, it will just hurt you!” Goro struggled out as he took the brute of her force.

Even with their pleas, Zero-Two showed no signs of stopping, she just snarled out like an animal and forced them back a few more steps. Finally, she broke through Ichigo’s and Goro’s hold and surged forwards only to suddenly feel around wrap around her middle and something press against her back. Hiro had thrown himself at her, but was making no attempts to really hold her back, he just held on.

“Zero-two please...just stop, it's no use,” Hiro said with a shaken, clearly through tears. The sound of her Darling crying stopped her dead in her tracks, bringing her back to the present. The reality of the situation hit her and she fell to her knees and curled in on herself, uncaring that others would see her so weak. For a moment she tried to hold back tears, but they flooded over. She lifted her hands to her face and sobbed. They were being pulled apart, after everything. They had finally fully accepted each other and now they were being forced apart, not even allowed in Strelitzia together. This had to be a cruel joke, this couldn’t be real. But it was, it was and she was so afraid. For the first time since she was trapped in the garden, she was afraid.

Hiro tightened his grip around Zero-Two as she sobbed, heartbroken to see her like this but he was barely holding himself together at all. It was so strange and quite frankly scary to pilot Strelitzia in a way so different, but he was able to because he knew Zero-two would be at this side. But now that he knew she wouldn’t, he was terrified. From the sounds of what Doctor Franxx said, he would be forced to pilot Strelitzia alone or even perhaps even worse was he might be forced in her with someone other than Zero-Two. The idea of someone else entering his mind, of placing his life in their hands, was horrifying. He didn’t want to do it, he didn’t want to be apart from Zero-two, but he didn’t know what else he could do. Disobey? Well, that would be his choice if he was sure it wouldn’t hurt Zero-two. He had seen what was done to her in the garden, sure it might have been for testing then, but who’s to say they couldn’t do the same thing as punishment. He couldn’t stand to see her get hurt because of him, he couldn’t take that chance. So he had to obey, for now, and play this game no matter how badly it hurt him to.

Ichigo felt a deep pang in her chest seeing the two of them in despair, and lowered herself to the ground and did all she could do in this situation- she hugged them. She wrapped her arms around Hiro and Zero-two and squeezed as if she could protect them from this all. She was the leader, yet she couldn’t do anything. If it was Doctor Franxx’s orders, Papa’s orders, to separate them- she couldn’t do anything. She also knew she shouldn’t want to do anything, that she should want to follow orders above all else but she couldn’t help it. SHe wanted to protect them, promise them that they could stay together even if it was a lie. Fight tooth and nail for her friends, but who was there to fight? What could she actually accomplish? She knew she couldn’t really make a change, but that wouldn’t stop her from trying. Its the least she could do after seeing them like this. She would hold them, give them comfort and then she would fight- do everything in her power to prevent the cause of their pain even at her determent. She was the leader, it was her job to help them- but she was their friend even more so, and she would do anything for her friends.

Goro followed suit, failing to his knees and rubbing circles on Hiro’s back and wrapping his arm around Zero-two. It was heartbreaking to see them like this- their bond was perhaps the stronger one he had ever seen and now they were being pulled apart. They had taught him what love was and let him realize that he indeed felt it, it was far that now they each were going to be forced apart from their loved one. But underneath his sympathy, there was worry- for the future. What Doctor Franxx said concerned him. How he spoke, it made it sound like Zero-Two would continue to function on their squad but Hiro would not, at least for now. But there was only one Strelitzia, meaning one of them would be forced to pilot another Franxx. Since Hiro would be with the Nines, he assumed it would be Hiro who was forced out of Strelitzia, likely into one of the Nines only Franxx. Would Hiro be okay, having to connect in a strange new environment? Would he be forced to connect with one of the Nines? He just hoped Hiro would be okay. And then there was the issue of Papa’s involvement- why? He could understand the doctor’s, but Papa’s? He couldn’t think of a reason, no, he was afraid to think of a reason for Papa’s involvement. The whole situation didn’t sit well.

The four of them sat together on the docks as each of their minds raced, confused and fearful. Even as Zero-two’s sobs began to dissipate, they all remained- none of them willing or wanting to move. For the moment, they felt safe in each other's arms, secure as if they could block the entire world out and keep things as it was. They, of course, knew they could not, but none of them were willing to break the fantasy. They all desperately needed it at the moment, knowing what uncharted territory they faced ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good news for the Nines lovers out there, they will be getting some development and insight on their personalities and devotion to Papa. Also, in the coming chapters, APE will finally be making its entrance!
> 
> I do write Hiro and Goro along with Ichigo and Zero-two as alot closer than the show does because I believe it was an unexplored dynamic that would have added to the development of squad 13. I do not like the idea of Ichigo holding a grudge against Zero-Two late season, that rather Ichigo growing to see Zero-two as her own person and a friend once she truely accepts her into the squad is more true to her character. I do intend to write more about the dynamic between the four of them and how it came about in the future!


	7. Clipped Wings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zero-two and Hiro face the reality of being torn apart with varying degrees of success.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a slight NSFW warning within the second and third page break. If it makes you uncomfortable and you would rather be safe than sorry there will be a detailed summary in the endnotes to catch you up.
> 
> For an explanation of how the next segment of Rampage will work, check the endnote.
> 
> Also warning in advance, this chapter may go through some editing, but the general set up should stay the same.

As Zero-two's tears dried, Ichigo and Goro somewhat reluctantly sat back. Zero-two stayed hunched over for a while, her eyes squeezed shut as she willed the tears away. Slowly she straightened up with her head held high, a false bravo. The puffiness of her eyes somewhat ruined the illusion, but none of them mentioned it. They needed it as much as she did. She turned to look at Ichigo, who’s expression spoke a thousand words to her. She felt her eyes well up again, but she swallowed it down. They nodded at each other, both understanding without words. 

Zero-two closed her eyes to retreat to her thoughts for a moment. She was somewhat more clear-minded after letting her emotions manifest. She despised the idea of the Nines getting their hands on her Darling, it sickened her. Her dislike of them ran deep, and her mistrust of them concerning humans was well-founded. She would be the first to admit that she treated humans horribly in the past, viewing them only as a means to an end or as playthings- stand-ins for her real darling-, and the Nines were exactly the same as she had been. They had no one to wake them up like her Darling and the rest of squad 13 had for her. They had no reason to be gentle or kind to him, but there was one thing she could trust- their loyalty to Papa. She found it quite frankly pathetic, he likely viewed them the same as the Nines viewed humans, but they were loyal to a fault when it involved him. If that horrible doctor really had asked for Papa’s permission, the Nines would be deployed under Papa’s commands. She hated thinking about her Darling as nothing more than a tool, but that’s how APE viewed him. To them, he was a unique tool, unlike any other, even considering the Nines, so it was unlikely they would want to willingly break him. Therefore, the Nines must be under orders to keep him alive. Unfortunately, her Darling could endure very much, so they would push him hard, just teetering at the edge of his breaking point.

She could only hope he would not be working with Alpha- the ring leader- but she would be lying to herself if she didn’t admit that was the most likely outcome. Zero-two sighed, unable to shake the bitter taste of helplessness as reality sat heavily on her shoulders. But, fretting about it would get her nowhere, only cause her and her squad more distress, so she swallowed down her dread and decided to take it as it came. She never backed down from a challenge, but she just might this time with her Darling on the line if it had been a possibility. Unfortunately, it wasn’t, and what-ifs would do nothing but sour her resolve further.

When opened her eyes, she saw a hand held out towards her. Confused, she looked up to see Ichigo standing in front of her, looking down at her with watery eyes. However, there was a fierceness to them, a small fire that was being kindled, that would grow. At that moment, she knew Ichigo understood. She knew Ichigo would fight with her, for her- she would take a stand, not just with her Darling but with her too. She knew that Ichigo was waking up too, was seeing the unfairness and cruelty of not just their circumstances, but all of theirs. Zero-two couldn’t help but let a small smile form, they weren’t alone anymore in their fight. She took Ichigo’s hand and grasped it firmly as she stood up. At her full height, she had to look down slightly to meet Ichigo’s eyes, but she looked at her as an equal, as a friend. Ichigo smiled back, and they formed a silence agreement, a pact.

She glanced over and saw Goro supporting her Darling- he was always a pillar of support for him and Ichigo. She had never really thought about it before, he was there for her Daling when couldn’t be. There was no jealousy in this realization, only gratitude towards him for all those years. As she saw him supporting her Darling as he tried to stand on his own, she saw a softness in his eyes- the very same she saw him watch Ichigo with so many times. She knew what that meant, the feelings he must harbor, but it wasn’t for her to decide what he was to do with them. Either way, she felt the invisible strings of fate that bound them all together and the trust that followed.

Suddenly, they were all broken from their spell as they were the telltale clicking of boots running up flights of stairs. All of them had forgotten about Nana and the rest of their squad, too consumed by the moment to remember. While they couldn’t have heard that exchange from such a distance, they must have seen it. Conflict flooded Zero-two’s expressions, not sure what to make of the situation. Really, what she wanted to do was to bring her Darling back to their room as fast as possible, but she also didn’t want to leave squad 13 in the dark. 

Ichigo, as fast thinking as she was, pulled Zero-two a step or two to be close enough to Goro to hand off Hiro. “Zero-two, go ahead. We’ll tell them what happened.”

Goro nodded at Ichigo’s statement and spared a glance at Hiro as he spoke softly, “Take it easy okay? Let Zero-two help you.”

“I know, I know- thank you, Goro, for everything,” Hiro said quietly but surely. He turned to Ichigo and added, “you too Ichigo.” Hiro’s comments had left both of them smiling softly at him.

“Now get going, you two,” Ichigo paused before adding with a smile, “leader’s orders.

“Well, I can’t disobey that now, can I?” Zero-two teased as she wrapped her arm around Hiro’s waist, letting him lean on her. She shared one last glance at Ichigo, silently expressing her gratitude before slipping away with her Darling in toll.

* * *

The door was already open when they arrived. Night had fully fallen, leaving the room dark and cast in shadows from the light spilling in from the hallways. It was so strange, seeing her room- no, their room- yet so familiar. It was strange that it was so familiar when so much had happened, so much had changed yet it had stayed still frozen in time. The unfinished pages from their story still laid sprawled out across the floor, hold their color strong even in the darkness. It was somewhat comforting to see their pages and reassuring. The story had not changed, but neither had theirs, really. This was just a snag that could be smoothed out. The prince and the beast would still be together.

Slowly and carefully, she walked her Darling towards the bed, careful not to step on their pages. He was leaning on her less heavily now, he seemed to have recovered some strength- a large relief to her. Once he was sat down, she moved to the windowsill to light a few candles. As they were flickering, she turned back to her Darling and saw him bathed in golden light. He had been watching her, and now their eyes crossed. They had returned to their normal turquoise, yet the bright sapphire they had been now lined the edges of his iris. They were lovely, absolutely unique to him. Around his eyes were the marking that he shared with her, a shade darker than his iris, framing them nicely. Then there were his horns, standing taller than hers were at the moment and slightly jagged- she would have to teach him how to file them soon- that caught the light so beautifully. They matched the markings around his eyes in color, no longer glowing that bright sapphire, but beautiful nonetheless. 

In their hurry, they had disregarded their parasites suit, choosing to go straight to their hidden world rather than change out of them. It would be of no large damage, they had stolen away spare clothing for their room long ago when there were no longer caretakers and they would be to generate more parasite suits. 

Zero-two moved forward so she was squarely in front of her Darling and began to help him out of his parasite suit. She laid her hands on his shoulders and then gently curled them over his neck, releasing the locks on his on the front of the headpiece with a hiss. She then slid her hands underneath the collar pieces and gently pried them off. As it gave she switched positions, leaning over slightly and wrapping her arms around his waist to get under the spine piece. It clicked, and she was able to remove the piece entirely and put it aside. With that large portion of the work down, she let her Darling pull her down to the bedside him. He followed her lead, doing the same for her. The two pieces were taking up a lot of room on the bed so Zero-two moved him to the floor. She let him begin to work away her parasite suit as she worked away his. With a little rearrangement, they had both shed their second skin.

With his parasite suit off, she drew near him, wrapping her arms around his back to feel the plates along his spine. While she had never shown anyone but her Darling, she had the same plates along her spine. He fully matched her in every sense. Every time she was reminded of that, she grew more grateful. He nestled into her as she drew her hand up and down his spine, sighing into her neck.

“Darling, we’re a matching set now, you know. In mind and body, we reflect each other,” she said softly as she allowed her arms to wrap loosely around her waist. Meanwhile, his were wrapped firmly around her ribs, as if he was afraid to let go.

“It what I wanted, to match with you, so you would be less alone.”

“Even if that meant becoming a beast as well”

“I was never turned away because of your blood, Zero-two. When I saw you, I saw someone like myself, I felt like I truly wasn’t alone. What I wished is for you to have that as well.”

“Oh Darling…” she whispered, not able to finish her thought. She felt guilt and confusion but most of all she felt that same gratitude. Her darling, the only one in the world that understood her full, smiled at her as if she was the most precious treasure in the world. And at that moment, she felt like it too. She felt nails against her skin, longer now and taking a shape more like claws, gently cup her check and he drew her in for a kiss. She reached up and tangled her hand into his hair and leaned forward, gently urging him to lay down. As he did, she lowered herself to her elbows and looked down at him. Before, she could never understand at the beauty he found in her, but now, looking down at him she thought she might understand.  
They remained in each other's arms throughout the night. As they fell asleep, they were more a tangle of limbs that two separate beings and neither of them would have it any other way.

* * *

Dawn crept into their room, the soft light dancing as it caught on the brightly colored pages scattered across the floor like a sea of stars. It was quite beautiful to watch, Hiro lamented, as there was just enough darkness remaining for them to truly shine. He wished he could capture this moment and stay in it- the beautiful sight of their work, the warm embrace of Zero-two pressed against his back and the quietness of dawn. While he loved the constant movement of their life, their constant flight, it was pleasant to stay grounded for once.

He felt Zero-two shift against him, pressing herself into the spot where his shoulder meant his neck and sighing softly. Her arms laid with one wrapped around his waist and the other further up so her hand rested over his heart and the scar that resisted there. They remained like that until dawn had fully settled, letting themselves have this little indulgence, spending just a little more time together before they would have to face the world.

He was first to sit up, knowing that if he didn’t drag them both out of bed Zero-two wouldn’t. Especially with the Nines coming, he wouldn’t put it past her to “accidentally” forget that they had obligations today and sleep in- he wouldn’t blame her either. Zero-two shifted as he sat up to wrap both arms around his waist as if to hold him down. He smiled slightly at her efforts, both of them knew it was futile, but it was in her nature to be stubborn. “Zero-two, come on, We have to get up and dressed before we are commed,” Hiro said softly, his voice still heavy with sleep as he turned to her.

“You’re too diligent, Darling,” Zero-two half grumbled half teased, but she said up nonetheless. She craned herself up to crack her back and yawned, then swung herself to the end of the bed, before getting up she started to comb through her hair with her hands to chase away the knots from the night. Hiro followed suit, considering his hair was beginning to grow longer and hence was more prone to knots. But as he tried to, his hands got caught on his horns- he still wasn't used to them being so long. He winced slightly at how sharp the edges of them still were. He felt eyes on him, and glanced up to see Zero-two watching him. With a curious expression on her face, she moved to her knees and reached out to bow his head down and look at his horns.  
“I can help you file them if you want,” she said while tracing her fingers along the top of them. “They are pretty sharp. We could keep them this length and just shape them up and dull the edges or I can file them down more.”

“I’m not sure what do you think?” Hiro said, looking up and she let go of his head. Hiro didn’t know which would look better, and he really only cared how he looked to Zero-two. He supposed she would prefer them short just as she kept hers.

Zero-two gave him a quizzical expression, before declaring, “Keep them long.” She paused to look at Hiro slightly confused expression before softly adding on, “I like seeing them, a reminded of our bound.”

Hiro smiled at her words, “Maybe you should let yours grow out.”

Zero-two widely right back at him, “Maybe I will. I don’t really mind them being long if yours are too. I used to see them as a curse- a reminder to any that say me that I wasn’t human no matter how much I wanted to be. But with you, how you’re like me, I think I don’t mind being not all human.”

Hiro light up at Zero-two’s words, feeling something warm bubbling up inside him. He was so happy she felt that. Even when they were together, Hiro could tell there were moments when Zero-two felt alone, like she was the only one of her kind in the world. But now, she truly wasn’t alone. They were together, one and the same. It was okay that they were the only one of their kind, he had promised that day back in the garden that even if it was only the two of them, they would surely find a place for themselves in the world.

He didn’t know how to express the whirlwind of thoughts and emotions within him, so he leaned forward and kissed Zero-two. She chuckled slightly but kissed him back, reaching up to cup his face. When they broke apart, they both looked at each other with adoration in their eyes.

Zero-two’s smile turned into a smirk before she spoke, “You’re so needy, Darling”

“Only because I have you,” Hiro responded, fully authentic. Zero-two couldn’t even tease him with how honest he was being, she simply leaning forward and pressed their horns together. Then stayed like that, both savoring the moment. Then, she pulled away silently and shifted herself off the bed. Hiro followed, getting up and finding his spare clothes in the dresser. He had moved most of his belongings to her room. Swiftly, they got dressed.

Once dressed, Zero-two took his hand and lead him back to the bed, pushing slightly on his shoulders to make him sit down. “Wait here, Darling,” she hummed out as she turned her back to him, reaching down to the windowsill and picking up an object next to her mirror. When she turned back to him, he saw she had a file. She walked up to him and gently tilted his face up the way she wanted so she had access to his horns. “Now this won’t hurt a bit, just stay still,” she said as she started her work on his horns. She was right, it didn’t hurt at all- he could vaguely feel a sensation, but that was it. She only continued her filing for a minute or two, before turning back to the windowsill and this time picking up the pieced together mirror, holding it up to Hiro. “How do you like them?”

Hiro examined himself in the mirror, the cracks distorting the image a little but not by much. His horns still stood tall, but they tapper up to a point smoother, and they were more uniformly rounded around the diameter. “Perfect,” Hiro said, smiling up at Zero-two.

She smiled back and placed the mirror back at her spot, but his smile fell as she straightened up to look out the window. “It’s about time that we should be going down now.”

Hiro’s own smile fell as well, while he wouldn’t mind seeing the rest of his squad leaving their room felt like they were exiting their safe haven, but it couldn’t be avoided. Hiro got up and took Zero-two’s hand with a squeeze. “It will be okay,” he said with a voice that was surer that he felt. She looked at him, searching eyes, and nodded.

Together, hand in hand, they crossed their sea of drawings and made their way out to the hallway. They walled the corridors in silence, neither of them quite knowing what to say to reassure the others. As they drew closer to the main hallway, it felt as if the tension in the air kept growing thicker. As they started down the main stairs, Zero-two suddenly stopped. Hiro glanced at her and saw he glazing down with an expression full of malice. He followed her line of sight and saw them, the Nines, standing in the lobby. Hiro gently squeezed her hand and started walking forward, partially dragging her to the end of the stairwell. 

Looking around as he went down, he saw that Nana and Ichigo were with them. Nana seemed to have been just their escort, but Ichigo was talking to Alpha. Judging by her expression, Alpha must not have been taking the conversation seriously. As they drew closed, he started to pick up the conversation

“It's so cute how you’re trying to order us around, playing leader,” Alpha said condescendingly. “Why don’t you just relax and let us handle the logistics? After all, it's none of your business”

Ichigo’s eye ticked at that comment, but she held her composure. “My business is anything that involves my squadmates, and if you’ll be working with Hiro then you’ll be working with me too. We’re on equal footing.”

Alpha let out a rich chuckle before speaking, “Equal footing! Aren’t you quite the bold one?” Alpha seemed like he had more to say to Ichigo, but his eyes darted upwards, catching sight of them. “Ah, Iota, there you are. Still working by your own clock I see?”

Zero-Two let out of Hiro’s hand, digging her nails into her palm and bearing her teeth. “Do not call me Iota,” she growled, “my name is Zero-two.”

Alpha sighed, “Still going by the ridiculous pet name I see. Intermingling with humans really has had a bad effect on you.” Alpha shook his head and continued, “I guess it can’t be helped. Either way, Iota, we keep meeting, it must be fate.”

“If you think I’ll ever work with you again you’re dead wr,” Zero-two’s voice rose to a shout before she was cut off.

“Ah-ah-ah, I’m not here for you, Iota. I’m here for my new toy,” Alpha said flashing a smile at Hiro, but it was cold and empty and his eyes were predatory.

At that, Zero-two snapped and rushed down the rest of the stairs. “Don’t you dare talk about my darling like that!” Zero-two snarled as she lunged at Alpha.

“Zero-two, wait!” Hiro called out as he began to run down the stairs, but before he could reach her the Nines were on top of her. Alpha didn’t move a muscle as the triplets rushed her, one of them delivering a sharp kick to her stomach, causing her to double over allowing the other two to flank her, grabbing her shoulders and pinning her arms against her back, then forcing her to the ground. Before she could force the two off of her, the first came and pressed her head into the ground, preventing her from getting up.

Alpha just smiled down at her, “Now now, none of this would be necessary if you could just behave yourself, Iota.” Then he bypassed Zero-two without a second thought and approached Hiro. Hiro instinctively took a step back before Alpha reached him, moving faster than should be possible. He moved to be at Hiro’s side grabbing his hand, pulling him towards him. As Hiro felt into him, Alpha swung him around so he was holding Hiro’s back and he was facing him. He drew a hand up and ghosted the side of Hiro’s face as he whispered, “Now my my, aren’t you a fine specimen.”

Meanwhile, Ichigo had rushed to Zero-two’s side. She wasn’t foolish enough to try to pry the Nines off of her, but she did order them, “Get off of her! She’s my squadmate, I handle it!”Surprising both Ichigo and Zero-two, they released her. She immediately whipped around and saw Hiro and Alpha, and with the pose he had Hiro in her vision went red. She let out a low growl and tensed up, but before she could move Ichigo grabbed her hand. “Don’t, it won’t help. We have to be careful, we don’t know what they are playing at,” Ichigo whispered. Zero-two was furious, but she wasn’t an idiot- she knew Ichigo was right. She breathed and tried to steady herself, barely holding herself back.

Alpha continued to manhandle Hiro, swinging him around again with surprising strength so Hiro was at his side with their arms linked. “Now then, shall we?” Alpha asked with false sweetness in his voice as he started down the stairs, more or less forcing Hiro with him. The other Nines parted as Alpha they came by, none of them even pausing or sparing a glance at Zero-two. Two of them opened the doors for Alpha and Hiro, and once they were out the rest followed. 

Nana waited his exchanged, conflicted. Is was out of the question for her to have refused the Nines or tried to stop but, but she couldn’t sit right with her decision after waiting how much pain it was causing the children. Hachi had briefed her on the situation, but he barely told her anything beyond that the Nines’ involvement with squad 13 was necessary under orders of the Doctor. She hadn’t been satisfied with such short and nondescript reason, but Hachi had stayed firm with his answer, not giving her anything else. She sighed, deciding that there was nothing to be done, she had to follow the orders no matter how reluctantly she felt about undertaking them. “Squad 13, as of current you have no operations to undertake. The Nines will be overtaking your responsibilities during the duration of their stay. Until they depart, you are to remain here. Do not come to the docks or any other areas outside of the birdcage. Ichigo, I will contact you if any further instructions are necessary.”

Ichigo gave her a confusing look, too full of emotion for her to decipher, before she closed her eyes for a moment and then responded simply and curt, “Understood.”

“That is all,” Nana said as she turned to follow the Nines, grateful to escape the heavy tension had surrounded the children. She didn’t like the certain situation any more than they did, it was already hard enough working with Zero-two and now there were eight more of her, but there was nothing she could do. She kept telling that to herself, over and over again until she believed it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> summary: Zero-two calms down a bit and she contemplates what coming situation with the Nines. She eventually figures how since Hiro would be considered special by Papa and the rest of APE, he will be safe from death but not completely out of harm's way. Ichigo and Goro let Zero-two slip away with Hiro. In the morning, Zero-two and Hiro enjoy each other's company and she offers to file his horns, which he accepts. They decide to keep his horns long, with Hiro's appearance making Zero-two feel less ashamed of hers. The spell breaks and they force themselves to go out and face the music. Just inside the main doorway, they are confronted by the Nines. Alpha is ignoring Ichigo's requests to work together and her insistence that because Hiro is part of squad 13 they deserve to have a say. Alpha just laughs her off before noticing Zero-two. When he does, he purposely advocates her and then treats Hiro like a plaything before leaving with Hiro in toll. Nana, who had been watching the entire exchange, feel conflicted about her orders involving allowing the Nines to interfere with squad 13.
> 
> This chapter is intentionally shorter because it is more of an introduction to the next chapter/s. The next two segments will be split perspectives with one following Hiro and the Nines [chiefly Alpha for now] and the other following Zero-two and squad 13. This will be either one chapter or two, depending on how they flow.
> 
> also Alpha isn't going to always be that extra. He's pissing Zero-two off purposefully by calling her Iota and his actions with Hiro. There's always a reason that he wants to be a nuisance to Zero-two, but that's for later.


	8. Split Jian: Nesting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Hiro is taken by the Nines, Zero-two has to deal with the knowledge that she is helpless to do anything just like she had been in the past. However, this time she's not alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is the first of two chapters with a split perspective- this being Zero-two's chapter. This is a big chapter. I attempted to split it up into two but giving how it fits in with Hiro's chapter I just couldn't make it work so I decided to trim the fat and try to squeeze everything into one.

The room stood frozen in time as no one moved, even breathing feel scandalous. Individually, each member of Squad 13 mulled over what they had just seen. Frozen in place, their minds raced. Little made sense, and then even less seemed logical to Ichigo. The Nines were supposed to be the front line of defense, and now that the Grand Crevasses had been opened it would seem as if they were needed more than ever. She shared Zero-two’s anger at the way Alpha had handled Hiro, he wasn’t a toy for Alpha to do with whatever he liked. Goro was troubled by why Papa and Doctor Franxx were concerning themselves so much with Hiro. He had always been special having been able to ride with Zero-two for so long, so why was it just now that they seemed to be interested in him? Even with his new developments, he couldn’t understand why they were pushing Hiro so hard to be able to pistil, the whole situation put him on edge. Miku and Zorome shared an unsure look with each other, both confused yet full of concern. While he wouldn’t straight out admit it, he did see Hiro as his friend and while he wasn’t on the best terms with Zero-two, it was far from pleasant seeing her so upset. Miku didn’t understand love fully, not in the way that her other squadmates seemed to, but she knew enough to see that this wasn’t right. Ikuno focused her eyes on her hands, which were laced together pressing firmly into each other trying to hold her tongue. She thought that perhaps to some degree she understood deeply what Zero-two was feeling, seeing the one she cares most about drift away. Futoshi had an uncharacteristic frown, not approving at all of the Nine’s actions. He still held some trust in Papa and wanted to believe that he would never take actions that clearly harmed his parasites, but he couldn’t ignore the truth. Mitsuru tried his best to look indifferent, to not let his jealousy rear its ugly head at Alpha. Kokoro’s heart ached for her two friends, to see them cut apart, fragmented so. It wasn’t fair, it was horrible to see the two who had taught them to love be this way. She wanted so badly to reach out to Zero-two and comfort her, but there were no words she could say that would quell her tumoral. 

Time only began its march again as the soft pitter of droplets of blood hit the ground sounded out as they fell from Zero-two’s clenched fists. Her nails were dug deep against the palm of her hands, an outlet for her emotions. Her head was hung and her eyes cast to the ground, her whole body curled over slightly as she tried to maintain her composure. Her bangs were draped over her face, hiding her expression. Beneath them, they would have seen her eyes a seething red reflective of the maelstrom of emotions brewing within- fear, disgust, anger but most of all a deep despair.

Her resolve broke as she suddenly spun around to go after her Darling. She barely heard the sounds of Ichigo calling out for her to stop as she slammed open the door. She sprinted, far faster than a human would be able to. In the distance, she caught sight of him- her Darling boarding the transport with Alpha still wrapped around him. Against all logic, she reached out as if she could grasp him and pull him back into her arms. As she opened her mouth to shout, her cries died in her throat. What Ichigo had said came flooding back to her, that trying to oppose the Nines was pointless, even worse was that it rang true. No matter how badly she wanted to deny it- refuse to believe it- in the end, all it would cause harm to her Darling. She knew Alpha too well, no amount of persuasion would make him give something up once it caught his eyes. And even if she put up an already lost fight, it would only make Alpha hold on to her Darling even harder. Individually, she was stronger than them, but they had strength in numbers. She couldn’t take them all at once. She was helpless, at a complete loss.

Her sprinting turned to walk before she stopped completely, slowly bringing her outstretched back to herself to clutch at the fabric above her heart. Her emotions came to a climax as she held back the tears that were blurring her vision, her eyes burned and her heart ached. Once again, she felt adrift in the world, pulled apart from her Darling. She let her gaze stray upwards to the sky that she felt she would never take flight in again- her wings torn from her body. She lowered herself to her knee as the endless crystal skies mocked her but she refused to look away. The clouds slowly danced as time lost its meaning.

“It will be okay,” a soft voice said unexpectedly, breaking her trance. Zero-two tossed her head back to see Kokoro standing a few paces behind her with her hands clasped somewhat anxiously in front of her. Zero-two could barely register what she had said, caught up in her own emotions and confused at the interruption, it almost felt like an intrusion.

“Surely you two will be together again. You both taught us so much,” Kokoro continued. She let her arms drop to her sides as she tentatively took a step forward. When she saw no reaction from Zero-two, she gathered the courage to keep moving forward. She couldn’t stand to see others in pain without trying to help, and it seemed Zero-two needed a friend more than ever. As she halted behind Zero-two, she leaned over slightly and gently place her hand on Zero-two’s shoulders. “I don’t know how or when, but Hiro will make his way back to you. He won’t give it, I know it. He never did when it came to you.”

At Kokoro’s words, Zero-two’s shoulders slumped and her hand dropped as if all the tension had left her. A few silent tears traced down her face before she reached up to wipe them away. She breathed out, and straightened her shoulders and brought her head up high. “I don’t know what to expect anymore, but I do believe in my Darling.”

Kokoro let a small smile escape and nodded. “Yes, there’s nothing to worry about. We just have to wait,” Kokoro said as she stood up to walk in front of Zero-two before offering her hand out. Zero-two accepted, and as Kokoro helped her up she could feel the roughness on her palm from where she had bled, but neither brought attention to it. 

To Zero-two’s surprise, Kokoro didn’t let go of her hand, so she allowed herself to be led along. She had no reason not too, especially when Kokoro had come out all this way for her. They headed back towards the boarding house, but Kokoro unexpectedly led her around it instead of back to the lobby. Her curiosity got the better of her and she couldn’t help the question that fell from her lips, “Where are we going?”

“I thought that maybe you would like to clear your head, I have this place I go to that always calms me,” Kokoro responded.

“And where would that be?”

“It’s a surprise,” Kokoro said as she turned slightly to toss a smile at Zero-two. She considered demanding an answer but decided otherwise, it couldn’t hurt to just go along with it. She would find out soon enough anyway.

They continued walking hand in hand for a short while before they came upon a greenhouse. Zero-two had seen it in passing before but was never compelled to go inside on her own. As they entered, Zero-two was greeted by the pleasant aroma of many flowers and damp earth. Inside there was a large assortment of flowers and other plants, far more than she could name. She had never been interested enough in plants to learn all of their names, but she could see the beauty in them. It was strangely calming to be surrounded by so much life, like being in the forest of Mistilteinn but a softer air to it. Kokoro let go of her hand once they were a decent way inside, picking up a watering can instead. She began to go to certain plants and watered them, humming slightly. Zero-two noticed a few more watering cans were lying around and deciding to join Kokoro. She followed along, having realized Kokoro was purposely not watering some so she could water the plants as well. They continued with only the sound of Kokoro’s humming and falling water to fill the air. It took a while, but eventually, they made it back to where they had begun. Zero-two felt significantly calmer and more level headed, have been able to switch her focus over to solely the plants for the time, allowing her mind the chance to rest.

Kokoro held out her hand to take Zero-two’s watering can and placed both of them back where they belonged. “Tending to the greenhouse has always been pleasant for me, I love being able to take care of something and the flowers are always so pretty to look at. Do you have a favorite flower, Zero-two?”

Zero-two shook her head, “No, but I never really thought about it before. I just like seeing vibrant colors.”

Kokoro smiled at her, “I understand, the colorful ones are very pretty. They are even more beautiful next to one another, complimenting each other just like us parasites do to our partners.” Kokoro opened her mouth to say more but paused for a second, as if a thought had suddenly come to her before smiling wide with her eyes bright with excitement. “Say, I bet Hiro would love to see what flowers you like. How about I help you pick some out? I’ve read in the past that people use to give flowers to each other as gifts in the form of bouquets in celebration.”

Zero-two’s demeanor immediately softened, for the first time thoughts of her Darling didn’t bring up the dread of their current situation. While in the grand scheme it wouldn’t be much, but having pretty things to look at might alleviate him somehow- it had always helped her. “I think I’d like that.”

“Great!” Kokoro said excitedly, “some flowers have meanings behind them, I can tell you what the ones you pick out represent, I can even help you write a message in flower language!” Zero-two had never seen Kokoro so excited before, it was a little odd but her smile was infectious. Kokoro herself must have realized how eager she had sounded, as she backpedaled with a flustered expression, “Ah, sorry, I didn’t mean to get ahead of myself. I meant to say I can help if you would like.”

“No, no- I’d appreciate your help. I’d like that idea, being able to construct a special message only for my Darling. I wouldn’t know where to start besides just picking out whatever caught my eye”

Kokoro’s whole face lit up at the prospect of sharing her love of flowers while cheering Zero-two up at the same time. She ushered Zero-two to the first set of flowers as they began talking about what she wanted to say through the flowers. Zero-two wanted her selection to be perfect, so they ended up spending quite a long time among the flowers- but Kokoro showed no signs of being frustrated, she just seemed happy to help and share her expertise. Finally, when Zero-two was satisfied she had quite the armful of flowers. Stargazer lilies for prosperity, red carnations for admiration, red chrysanthemums for passion, camellias for devotion, blue irises for hope, and finally blue violets for trust. Kokoro had been insistent on finding flowers that matched both her choice of color and meaning but in the end, she was grateful. The bouquet lent itself to the blues and red she associated with her Darling and herself respectively, along with a few hints of the apricot for Strelitzia who facilitated their bond. Both satisfied, they headed back towards the boarding house. 

When they entered, it seemed like everyone had spread out to do chores and it was only late morning so there was no reason for them to gather again. The only one in sight was Miku, who gave a small wave and a greeting as she continued to dust. Kokoro did the same before turning into the mess hall to retrieve a tall glass filled halfway with water and started heading towards the back door, speaking as she walked, “We should keep them outside in the sun until later tonight so the flowers don’t wilt.” Once again outside, she placed the glass on the table and glanced back and Zero-two, who picked up the signal and placed the flowers in the glass. With the light breeze and how the petals caught the sun, they looked as if they could be a lovely centerpiece.

“Thank you, Kokoro, I think he’ll love them.”

“Of course, I’m glad to be of help. But there’s still the question of what we should wrap them in when you’re ready to present them. We could just use paper but…” Kokoro trailed off, closing her eyes as she thought. She suddenly snapped her eyes open and she spun around and started back towards the house “Of course!”

Zero-two was confused at the turn of events but followed after Kokoro, who led them back to the lobby. Miku had looked over to them because of the noise they had caused jogging back in and paused her dusking. Kokoro couldn’t have been more pleased and walked up to her, “Miku, would you mind doing a favor for us?”

“Hm? What kind of favor?” Miku asked, setting the dusker down on a nearby banister and letting her other hand propped up on her hip as she swived to fully to face them. “Whatever it is it can’t be more boring than this.”

“Well, knitting! I was wondering if you could knit a band to hold together flowers. See, Zero-two made a bouquet for Hiro and I thought something a little more fancy than paper would be the way to go.”

“Sure, any excuse to get out of doing chores is a good one,” Miku jovially said while clapping her hands, then she turned slightly to fully face Zero-two, “have you ever knitted?”

“Never, what exactly is it?”  
“How to describe it? Well, you use needles and yarn to create things. It’s pretty fun actually, I’ve tried to teach the others to do it before but none of them have been able to pick it up, not even Kokoro, not for my lack of trying”

“That’s not fair Miku, you’ve always been crafty and we can’t all be as good with your hands as you are,” Kokoro lightly teased.

“That’s no excuse! I wasn’t perfect at it when I started either!” Miku pouted. “You seem pretty capable, however. I’m sure we could find something you would like to make. So, what do you say Zero-two- want to give it a try?” Miku asked hopefully.

From what they had told her, knitting might be hard seeing that no one else had picked it up, or it could mean that Miku was just a bad teacher. Was there something she wanted to make? Something she wanted, or maybe that her Darling wanted? She thought back to the conversations they had held, trying to find something- then it came to her. “Headbands,” she declared, sure as ever.

“Huh? Headbands? Why is that?” Miku blurted out, completely confused. Of all the things that Zero-two might have asked her to teach her how to make, she hadn’t considered headbands. It was an odd thing, considering Zero-two already had a headband. She supposed she had made flower crowns and the likes in the past, so maybe Zero-two meant something like that.

To her surprise, Zero-two reached up and took hold of the headband she always wore. After a small click, she pulled it off and lowered it, looking down in her hands. “This headband was given to me by Doctor Franxx. I was given the choice of either wearing a tracker or always staying in the line of sight of my stamen or a caretaker. I chose to wear a tracker, so I could have at least a semblance of freedom.” 

Zero-two hands clenched around what they now knew to be a tracker before throwing it to the ground and stomping on it. With how forceful she brought down her foot, it immediately shattered. Both Kokoro and Miku couldn’t hold back a gasp in surprise. ‘I have no use for false freedoms anymore.” The tension that had built up in her seemed to bleed away at all, and when she looked up she had a smile on her face. She held her arms behind her back and laced her hands while leaning forward slightly. “So, it seems I’m in the need of a new headband. And now that we match,” Zero-two said, letting go of her hands and bringing one to point at her horns, “it seems right to make my Darling one too.”

Miku took a moment to recover from shock, but when she got her bearings, she responded, “Okay, I can teach you how to make headbands, should be easy enough.” She started towards the stairs and called back, “Kokoro, would you mind taking over here?”

“Of course, you two have fun,” Kokoro called back, sweet as ever.

With the okay, Miku began to take the stairs two at a time and rushed to her shared room in excitement. While Zero-two knew Miku had energy that rivaled Zorome’s, she had never seen her so bouncy before. It was cute and the mood was infectiousness, finding herself smiling slightly as she followed. Once in the room, Miku dug around for a bit, all while pulling out colors of yarn used to varying degrees, what she had to assume where a few pairs of knitting needles, and a small basket. She gathered all of them up together and put them on the floor, sitting cross-legged. Zero-two joined, sitting across from her and watched and Miku began to search for something in the basket. The amount of material she produced was impressive, especially considering the parasites had access to even less that she did. “Where did you find all this?”

“I didn’t find it, I asked for it. While I didn’t every time, I would ask Papa for new needles or more yarn some years. I found out about knitting back in the garden from one of the books in the library and was disappointed when I couldn’t find much anything to practice it with. So, for the next couple years that’s all I would ask for,” Miku explained, without stopping her searching.

Zero-two reached over to play with a ball of yarn- it had a faded pink color and was clearly one that Miku favored as the ball was significantly smaller than the rest- and pondered about what Miku had revealed. She still knew so little about how the children were treated in the garden. Her Darling had brought it up in passing, but she never asked him to elaborate more. Being there had to have shaped him into that boy who had so much life and fight in his eyes back then, she couldn’t help but wonder what made him that way.

“Ah-ha! This will work perfect,” Miku exclaimed, at which Zero-two brought her eyes away from the yarn and back to her. Miku had in her hand what seemed to be decently thick wire on a spool. “You can shape these how you want and I’ll teach you how to knit slips to go around them. Just make a sharp angle when you have them the length you want and they’ll snap right off.” Miku held out the wire and Zero-two reached out to take it and started shaping it. She formed the wire in the same general shape as her old headband, with notches where their horns would sit. After making two she looked up she set them out in front of her, and Miku seeing that she was done held out two needles, “Here, you can use my newer pair. I had to ask for needles once or twice because I would lose them, but I usually found them again, after a long time. What yarn colors would you like to use? For something this small I should have enough for you to pick any.”

Zero-two didn’t have to think at all about what colors she wanted, she already knew. She chose scarlet for herself and cobalt for Hiro, both slightly lighter than their respective horns. At the same time, Miku picked white to use for the band she would be making. Once they had their colors picked out, Miku started her instructions, “Don’t make it harder on yourself than it needs to be. Knitting can be very easy, there are two methods- knitting and purling. For yours, because it will be so thin I am going to only have you only do knitting to create a garter pattern. What you’ll be doing is basically making a very thin sock to slide over the wire. The first one you’ll do will just be for practice. Oh and when you’re done leave some extra yarn on the end so we can close them up ”

Miku when on to demonstrate how to do a knit stitch and how to form it into a sock shape. She was a surprisingly good teacher, going slow and helping her when she needed it. When Zero-two finally got to the end of it, there were parts of it that were sloppy and uneven, but she felt like she got the hang of it enough to actually start. As Zero-two got started on the socks that would be for the headbands, Miku started on her own project. She explained that for the band she was going to do a modified purl ridge pattern. She went on to explain the other patterns that could be created by different combinations of purling and knitting, and while she couldn’t follow everything Miku was saying, it was nice to learn more about knitting and in turn more about Miku herself. She noticed that Miku finished the band rather early on and continued to something else, choosing a ruby yarn this time. She dismissed it at the time, assuming she was making something for herself since it was close to the pink she loved.

By the time she had finished the two socks, her fingers ached slightly- she wasn’t used to using them so much. Miku had also finished what she was working on, a little sooner than Zero-two had but that was to be expected, she was the expert. She had put whatever she was working on behind her back for some reason, but Zero-two was too focused on her task at the time to dwell on it. The socks were exactly the right length as she had checked them against the wire while she was making them. She slipped them on the wires and they fit perfectly, Miku and judged the width of stitches that was needed quite accurately, leading Zero-two to believe she had done something with wire before. She made a note to ask her about that later. Miku explained how to close up the socks and finally, the headbands were officially done.

Zero-two looked down at the two headbands sitting in front of her and let herself smile freely. She couldn’t tell exactly why, but she felt good. “It does feel good to create something, with your only two hands, isn’t it?” Miku stated more than asked.

“It does. Miku, thank you. I’m glad to be able to wear something that is my own- that wasn’t given to me by Doctor Franxx.”

“Well, that’s not all you can wear that’s your own. Here!” Miku said excitedly as she reached behind her back and presented what she had made. In her hands was a neat ruby scarf, with stitches so fine that she could barely make them out.

“It’s...for me?” Zero-two asked, profoundly puzzled.

“Yeah! I made it red since I thought it would match your horns nicely!” Miku said with a smile. 

It surprised her, hearing Miku so casually mention her horns. Of all the parasites of squad 13, she had struck her as the one most unsettled by them. And being given something so meaningful as clothing, it just added layers of confusion to the situation. She needed some clarification, “But why?”

Miku’s smile fell and she looked away, almost seeming embarrassed, “Well...we weren’t the nicest to you, Zero-two. You’re our squadmate too and for the longest time we, or rather I, didn’t see or treat you as such. This is kinda an apology gift. It's not much and it doesn’t make up for those times either, but I hope you can forgive us.”

Miku I..” Zero-two started, but she couldn’t find the words. She settled on accepting the scarf from Miku, who turned back towards her as she felt the weight of the scarf leave her hands. When she saw the earnest look on Miku’s face, she knew what she wanted to say. “I forgive you, but I never held it against you. I am different, not human, and I understand why that would be scary. I wasn’t open to you and I didn’t try to connect to you either- it's a two-way street, my experiences with my Darling showed me that. So I’m sorry, too. For everything.”

Miku shifted her weight and eyes so she was looking directly at Zero-two, but still remained somewhat bashful. “So then, let’s be friends,” she said nervously as if she was afraid she would be rejected. She held her hand out to Zero-two, forcing herself to keep looking forward.

“Friends,” Zero-two responded taking her hand and shaking. It was an odd exchange, but she didn’t regret having it one bit.

Miku letting a small sigh from before she seemed to return to her normal self. “Geez, what’s with the heavy atmosphere,” She said with her normal vigor as she fell back, arms crossed behind her head. “But, I am glad we talked, Zero-two.”

“I am too,” Zero-two said sincerely, but then she remembered what she had wanted to ask before, “But also, before when you were teaching me, how did you know how many stitches were needed to go across the wire?”

Miku propped herself up on her elbows and looked at her with a semi-serious expression, “Hmm, I’ll tell you, but only if you promise not to make fun of me.”

“I promise.”

“Okay, look,” Miku said pointing up and behind Zero-two. She twisted across and searched for whatever Miku was pointing too, and then she saw it. Something was above the door, it looked to be a hoop with the same type of tight sock around it that Miku had shown her how to make, but it had some sort of netting inside it along with tassels hanging from it. “It’s a dream catcher. It’s for exactly as it sounds- catching dreams, particularly bad ones. Now, don’t make fun of me, I had read about them in a book a while ago and at the time it seemed like a good idea to make one.”

“I don’t think it was a bad idea at all.”

“Really?” Miku said perking up but then frowned, “wait, are you just saying that?”

“Not at all. I have bad dreams that bring up things I’d rather forget.”

“Oh, well maybe sometime I could teach you how to make one”

“I’d love that.” Zero-two let a smile settle naturally from her face, she was glad she had officially made peace with Miku. These people were important to her Darling, so she wanted to be close to them. But, even more importantly, she wanted to have friends. She never had really let herself have them before, let alone others wanting to be friends with her. The closest she had before was the Nines, and their relationship had always been strained at best.

A knock at the door brought her out of her thoughts, she looked back to see it Ikuno peeking in. “We finished lunch, there were leftovers from last night.”

“Oh! Great, I’m starving,” Miku said popping up and basically bouncing out the door. Ikuno stepped out of the way. Zero-two got up to follow them, but not before putting her headband on and pocketing the other. She also wrapped her new scarf around her neck, it wasn’t cold out but she wanted to wear it. When they got down outside and settled, it was lively. However, Zero-two could feel the empty chair next to her. As everyone fell into conversation, she stayed silent and let the noise fade into the back of her mind. Today had been fun for her, but her Darling’s absent came flooding back to her, partnered her worry for him. She let her eyes fall on the flowers still sitting in the center of the table.

Before she could let her thoughts spiral too much, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She blinked a few times, needing a second to bring herself back into the present. She looked over and saw Ikuno looking at her, her features telling of her concern. “Zero-two, aren’t you going to eat?”

She hadn’t even realized there was a plate of food in front of her, let alone thinking about eating. As she thought about it, she realized she had no appetite. When she glanced up, she always noticed the conversations had died down, and while it seemed they were trying to pretend they weren’t listening they weren’t very good at it. She became a little self-conscious, seeing that she was causing her squadmates to be concerned .“I don’t think so, actually I think I might head upstairs for a bit if that's okay?”

“Would you mind if I came with you?” Ikuno asked softly.

“Hmm? Sure, I guess that’s okay,” Zero-two muttered as she stood up, bringing one of her hands up to her mouth to nip at her nails, a nervous habit. Ikuno followed suit, keeping quiet. Unknown to Zero-two, Ikuno and Kokoro nodded at each other as they passed by. As they made their way through the halls, neither girl spoke, it could have been considered awkward if both girls weren’t consumed in thought. Zero-two’s memories of Alpha, both recent and old, kept cycling through her mind. The more she thought about him and his mannerisms, the more concerned she was for her Darling. Ikuno’s thoughts were elsewhere, trying to come up with a way to bridge the gap between her and Zero-two.

As Zero-two opened the door and walked in, Ikuno took in the room. She had never spent any significant amount of time in it before, so she was mildly curious to get a better look at it. The room was far more spacious than any of theirs, which made her wonder why Ichigo hadn’t just given her a normal room. Perhaps it was because this room was further away from theirs, a clear message that she wasn’t welcome. While that had changed, Zero-two had seemed to become attached to her room although there were signs that this hadn’t always been the case. It was hard to ignore the deep gouges in the walls, immediately she thought that it must have been done with a knife but the proximity of patterns of them made it clear it was done with her nails. Which in itself was unsettling, but the dark stains around some of them made it even more so. 

Ikuno shook her head, deciding to not let her mind wander anymore and walked in. She only made it a few steps before her foot caught on something, looking down she noticed that papers were scattered around the floor, many of which that beautiful pictures and intricate sketches drawn on them. She counted herself lucky that the paper she stepped on wasn’t one of them, it had just been blank. She carefully walked a few paces forward and kneeled down to pick a colored one up. On closer inspection, the pictures seemed even more elaborate than she originally thought. The picture seemed to be of a garden in the night with two figures. The male was dressed in lavish clothes, even fancier than the ones adults she had seen adults wearing, and the women had black wings interspaced with reds and whites feathers, crested with stars on alula. While her massive wings had caught Ikuno’s attention first, on closer inspection she realized the women had red horns reminiscence of Zero-two’s.

She wasn’t an artist in any sense, but she did write. She could appreciate the time and effort that must have when into creating one of these pictures, let alone as many as Zero-two had made. From what she knew, Zero-two had seen much more of the world than any of them had, could that be what had expired these pictures? And to create so many, she must be passionate about drawing. “Zero-two, these are lovely. Do you like to draw?” Ikuno asked finally tearing her eyes away from the memorizing creation.

Zero-two was sitting on her bed, running her hands over a headpiece similar to the ones that were part of their parasite suits. However, it didn’t look like either of the ones she had seen Zero-two in- it must have been Hiro’s. She found she must have been right when a glance over to the side revealed white and red one that Zero-two donned. Zero-two didn’t put it down but did look up at Ikuno, seemingly to have forgotten she was there until she spoke. She took a few moments to mull over the question before answering, “I guess not.”

“You don’t?” Ikuno let the surprise bleed into her voice, “But you did make these, yes? And there’s so many, why did you make them if you don’t like drawing?”

“I didn’t make them because I liked or didn’t like to draw- I never considered that. A long time ago, I had a book that was very precious to me, but I no longer have it. I’m recreating it,” Zero-two explained as set Hiro’s headpiece aside and slid down to the floor, picking up the page closest to her. “It’s finally starting to look like how it did before.”

“Nevertheless, they're very impressive. You must have had to practice intensively,” Ikuno admired. She never knew Zero-two was so diligent. When piloting, she never seemed to have the same setbacks that they encountered- it was like it came naturally to her. She knew she wasn’t the only one that found it annoying at times, but unlike the others, she knew it was more out of envy rather than anything Zero-two was doing wrong. She knew envy well enough to recognize that and to not act on it.

“I wasn’t good at drawing at all, at first. When I was younger, I would draw anytime I was allowed- I desperately wanted to be able to have my book back to help me remember what I was afraid I would forget. But I stopped eventually. I can’t remember why, only that it was around the time I was introduced to Strelitzia,” she paused, searching her memory for why she would give up on something so precious to her, but she couldn’t recall why- it was strange to her that she couldn’t remember something so important. “But recently, I started again. Soon, I’ll have all the pages done.”

Ikuno didn’t need to ask if it was Hiro who made encouraged or caused her to start again, that much was clear. From Zero-two’s tone, she knew it would have been pointless to ask what memories she wanted to forget. However, if these pages were so important to her, it wasn’t safe to have them sprawled out like this. “I could help you bind them together if you like?”

“You know how to do that?” Zero-two asked, tilting her head slightly. To know how to bind books didn’t seem like something they would encourage parasites to learn or a hobby that one would think to pick up.

Ikuno nodded, “Yes, the books in the garden got worn after a lot of use, and would fall apart. I read a lot, and had an affection towards certain books- some I would always keep on me. Because I this I got to see quite a few books fall apart. I tried to put them back together, and the caretakers saw no harm in this so they let me continue. It took a few books, but eventually, I figured out how to rebind them. I enjoy writing and journaling, so I’ve bound a few books of my own as well.”

“You learned how to bind books completely by yourself? That's...impressive. I wouldn’t mind you showing me how if you’re willing.”

“I’m more than happy to, I’ve never shown anyone else since no one seemed to like books as much as I do. I understand a book being special to you, that’s even more of a reason to protect it,” Ikuno explained as she stood up. “If you gather up the pages and the paper you’ll need for any remaining pages, I’ll get the materials you’ll need and come back.”

Zero-two nodded, and Ikuno left. She began to gather up the best pages in the right order. While there hadn’t been many pages in her picture book, she had remade them time and time again to attempt to capture them perfectly. In the end, she wasn’t satisfied with a few of the pages, and choose to use the newer sketches rather than the finished pages. Once gathered, she looked down at the title page. It brought back memories, some muddled further than to her liking. Her time before the suffering she endured at the hands of Doctor Franxx and APE’s lackeys was unclear, she could remember very vague events and only a few details- but nothing more. The lack of clarity about her past unsettled her greatly.

A creak sounded as Ikuno footed opened the door drew her attention away from the past and back into the present. Zero-two couldn’t make out everything Ikuno had in her arms, even as she sat beside her and spread her arsenal out she couldn’t make heads or tails of it all. What confused her the most was the knife, which Ikuno had no business having. She didn’t seem to have any intention of explaining herself, so Zero-two decided to just go with it as Ikuno, at least seemed, knew what she was doing. Ikuno turned over to look at Zero-two, with her face softened slightly from her normal expressions when she spoke, “May I have the pages? It will be easier to just show you rather than try to instruction you. I’ll be careful with them, I promise.” 

With what she had said before, Ikuno understood the importance that her picture book had- so Zero-two somewhat reluctantly handed over the pages. Ikuno continued to spread them out in front of her and started her work. She moved the cover page aside, then flipped the rest of them over so the blank sides were facing up. She then uncapped a jar with something in it that was milky tan and coated the knife with it. She proceeded to cover the backs of every other page with them using the knife to make sure it was a thin smooth coat, then to press the back of the uncovered pages to them. Ah, so it was paste. “Having the pictures organized like this will make sure each page has one, even the backs- just like a book would be set up. The paste is study but in thin layers- it took a while to get it right- so it should dry fast,” she explained.

“You’re really into this, aren’t you?”

“Well, there’s merit in doing the job right.” Ikuno declared before letting her voice softened, “and it’s important to take care of the things you hold dear.” She when on to stack the pages on top of each other, with the last on the bottom and the first on the top- still excluding the cover. She reached over to where a small box was, taking out a needle a spool of thread. After threading the needle, she carefully pierced the stack and then wove in and out. When finished, she tied off the end and the pages were firmly connected together.

“You’re right, it really is like a real book!” Zero-two said as she picked it up, flipping through the pages. Besides the lack of a cover, it looked like her old picture book. “Thank you, Ikuno. I really appreciate it.”

Ikuno smiled at her, very pleased to see her excited. “You’re welcome, but it's not done yet,” she said as she took the pages back from Zero two. She picked up a piece of blue canvas she had set aside earlier. “Before I left, I noticed the cover page was a deep navy, so I tried to find a fabric in my collection that matched it,” she said as she compared the two, “It matches up well, so this is what will be the spine and cover.” She set the pages down on the canvas and marked an outline then did the same for the spine of the pages and the pages themselves once more. She used scissors to cut around the outlines but left about an inch of canvas around the entire outline. She folded the extra canvas over and set it over paperboard so she could cut pieces exactly the size of the outlines. Unlike the canvas, she separated the paperboard into three pieces. She moved the pieces of paperboard to the side and unfolded the canvas outline, then used the knife again to create a layer of paste on it. Then she carefully placed the paperboard in the outlines and folded the extra canvas over it. After when she folded it over, it became clear what it was- a cover for her picture book.

Ikuno unfolded the cover, she must have just been checking to make sure it functioned correctly, She picked up the pages once more and coated the spine of them with paste and firmly pressed them to the spine of the cover. She held them there for a few seconds before letting go and folding the cover over with the pages safely inside. She moved to pick up the cover page, which had remained completely untouched to this point and coated it with paste before laying it down over the cover. The color of the canvas matched exactly to the cover of the page, with Zero-two barely being able to make out where paper ended and canvas started. Ikuno reached over to hand Zero-two the book and it was perfect, it was as if she was holding the exact same book from so long ago.

“So, did it turn out how you remember,” Ikuno asked, with a slight nervousness in her voice.

“Exactly,” Zero-two nearly whispered, smoothing her hand over the cover. “Ikuno, really, thank you. It’s just like I had remembered it to be.”

Ikuno let out a sigh of relief, “I’m glad I could help. Now, you don’t have to worry about losing or ruining any of your pages. I’m sure when it’s finished it will look lovely.”

“I’ll make sure to show you, you helped after all,” she acknowledged. She never really expected to want to share her picture book with anyone else but her Darling, but maybe it would be nice to. He considered his squad his family, so...maybe they could be hers too. 

“I would like that a lot. Thank you, I can tell this is very special to you. I’m grateful you would let me.” When their eyes met, Zero-two knew Ikuno was being truthful. She reached over for Ikuno hand and held it briefly before standing up. She didn’t quite know how to thank her, and she wasn’t ready yet to hug other people than her Darling, but she thought after the care Ikuno had taken that she deserved at least that. She made her way over to the window and placed her picture book gently next to her mirror. She decided to place her Darling's headband next to her book as well, for safekeeping. 

When she turned around, she saw Ikuno cleaning up what she had brought up. She decided to help, leaning down and gather up what was closest to her. Ikuno gave her a quick thanks as she continued her cleaning. With the two of them, it didn't take them long to finish. She followed Ikuno out, letting her lead. To her surprise, they bypassed the dorms and when downstairs. They ended up a small library off in the far side of the boarding house. She had been here before with her Darling and then again by herself, but she had completely forgotten about it. Or rather, she had forced herself to. There was a small desk nestled between the bookshelves where they put away the material. 

As they went to leave, she noticed Ichigo sitting on one of the windowsills while reading a pretty thick book. Curious, she walked over and Ikuno trailed after. Ichigo was sitting with one of her legs drawn close to her chest to prop up the book, so Zero-two couldn't make out the words or the cover even as she squinted.

Ikuno came up next to her, taking the initiative, "Ichigo, good afternoon."

Ichigo startled slightly, clearly having been deep in thought but quickly composed herself, "Oh, hello. Ikuno, where have you been?”

"Zero-two and I were binding a book, she had some pages that could use some safekeeping.”

"Maybe you two should read together sometime if you both enjoy books. It might be good, since I can’t always keep up with you," Ichigo said returning a smile, before turning to her, "Zero-two, how are you?"

"What are you reading?" Zero-two asked ignoring the question. She couldn't shake the feeling she had seen that book before.

"Oh, this?" Ichigo said as she swiveled her body so both her legs were hanging down with the book flat on her lap. "It's a book of constellations. Hiro and I read it all the time in the garden, and luckily it was one of the things they brought with us. It's a communal book, but I've always considered it his."

"Do you like constellations?" Zero-two had known that her Darling was passionate about them, but didn't know Ichigo shared that interest. After all, he was always looking to the sky.

"Very much, but I was never about to remember as much about them as Hiro. He was always telling us about them when we were younger, he could recall their names and stars on the spot. Actually, he named me after one, well a star in one- Ichigo is the fifteenth star in Orion," Ichigo reminisced with a certain affection in her voice. Clearly, this was an important memory for her. Zero-two could relate, she never forgot the warmest in her core she felt when Hiro gave her a name.

"I remember when he would tell the stories of the constellations, it enchanted all of us with how vivid he could be," Ikuno commented, "he was a great storyteller.."

"That he was. It got him in trouble quite a few times, but he would always insist that he wasn’t doing anything wrong. Eventually, I think the caretaker found it was a losing battle. But, he really did love the stars, I bet he would sleep outside under them if he was allowed."

Zero-two considered what Ichigo had said. She could remember more than a few times when she would escape from the eyes of her temporary stamens and caretakers to nap under the sky. Sometimes walls seemed suffocating, she understood finding solace in the sky. "I would bring the stars inside if I could."

"Yeah, too bad we couldn't just hang the constellations up on the ceiling," Ichigo laughed, but she suddenly cut off.

"Ichigo, is something wrong?" Ikuno asked, concerned.

"Oh, sorry. I was just thinking...maybe we could bring the constellations inside."

That immediately caught her attention, bring the constellations inside for her Darling? She could actually do that? "How?" She asked a little more intensely than she meant to.

Ichigo opened her mouth, but paused to think and then spoke, "Actually, it's a surprise." 

Zero-two let out a sound of frustration, "What do you mean?"

Ichigo smirked as she stood up, "Just wait here. Ikuno, would you mind coming with me?"

"Of course, but would you mind telling me where we are going?" Ikuno asked, curious at what game Ichigo was playing on Zero-two.

"Nope, that's part of the surprise, just trust me," Ichigo teased as she set the book aside and started walking away. Zero-two looked to Ikuno, silently asking her if she knew what the hell was going on but she just shrugged and followed Ichigo. Right before they got to the door, Ichigo swung around, "Actually Zero-two, pick out the constellations you like from that book and bring it up to your room. We'll come up when the stars are ready to come in." And with that, they both were gone and Zero-two was left standing more confused than ever.

She grumbled to herself about how cryptic Ichigo was being and why Ikuno went along with it but decided to obey anyways. Not like she had anything better to be doing. She picked up the book Ichigo had been reading and made her way upstairs. When she got to her room, she plopped down on her bed and opened the book to a random page. Flipping through it, a few constellations caught her eyes- Apus, Grus, and Phoenix in particular. She had always loved the sky, dreaming of taking flight away from her confines, so the stars had always drawn her- but she had never learned the constellations. For the longest time, she didn't know they existed. To make pictures out of the sky, it was amazing.

"Zero-two! Can you get the door? Our hands are kinda full," Ichigo called out, pulling Zero-two out of her thoughts. She had completely forgotten about them, having been absorbed by the constellations. She quickly got up and rushed to the door, excited to finally find out what Ichigo meant. She didn't know what to expect, but when she opened the door she certainly didn't expect to see Miku and Kokoro too, much less what they had on them. Ichigo had a large bucket of paint in each hand, Ikuno was carrying brooms on top of a chair from the mess hall, and both Miku and Kokoro had a chair each with Miku also having smaller cans and Kokoro having what looked to be a folded up tarp and thin brushes. Zero-two mindlessly stepped aside, letting them all in.

"So, would you mind explaining why you brought all this into my room?” Zero-two asked, directed at Ichigo since she was the ringleader of whatever idea they had gotten into their minds.

"To do exactly what I said! We are going to bring the constellations inside the best we can. We're going to paint the sky," Ichigo announced as if that was the only logical turn of events.

"Ichigo told us her idea, and we thought it was just wonderful! To have your own sky inside, it would be like being in your own little world" Kokoro added cheerfully.

"Yeah, won't it be a great surprise for Hiro?" Miku said and she put down her chair. "But don't think you can claim all the credit yourself! It's a gift from all of it," Miku declared with a hand on her hip pointing at Zero-two.

Zero-two was speechless, the whole situation was ridiculous, juvenile even. To bring the sky inside by painting it, how did Ichigo even come up with such a thing? She could help the laugh that built in her chest and bubbled out.

Ichigo's face fell at Zero-two's reaction, suddenly self-conscious. "Do you...not want to? Ugh, sorry, this ideal was stupid, forget it," she muttered out.

"No, no," Zero-two managed to get out while wiping away tears, "I love it. It's just so unlike but also like you Ichigo. So straight forward."

"Ah, well, I just thought you two might like it," Ichigo said, back to her normal volume but still flustered little.

"I love it, and I'm sure my Darling will too. So, where do we start?"

"We are going to paint the ceiling black first, like night,” Ichigo explained. “That’s what the brooms are for, it would take far too long to use brushes.”

“We have extras for the bathrooms, but we decided to make an exception,” Ikuno said as she handed Zero-two a broom. “With their reach, we shouldn’t need the chairs right now but when we paint the stars we’ll use the smaller brushes for details, that’s when we’ll need them.”

Zero-two nodded as she accepted the broom, the plan made sense to her. It was a cross between funny and endearing how much Ichigo and Ikuno were treating this like a mission. They all worked to spread out the tarp to protect the ground, lifting up the chairs and such as they went. When finished, Ichigo used a knife she had pocketed to pop open the larger cans of paint. There were enough brooms for each of them, and while it took a little maneuvering to get them each coated with paint without spilling it all, they managed. Then, each girl armed with their now makeshift oversized paintbrushes got to work. It when fairly fast with all of them working together, the ceiling soon became dark as night.

They all sat down in a tight circle, with the book of constellations in the middle. Zero-two pointed out the ones she found interesting and they got to work figuring out what else would onto their sky. Eventually, they found a page labeled “The Southern Hemisphere” that mapped out an entire night sky, which also happened to contain the constellations Zero-two had picked out much to her pleasure. They got to work splitting the sky and room into fourths. They collectively decided to paint lines connecting the stars to form the constellations, as to not lose them among the other stars they were painting. They each continually referenced the book, wanting to get the stars positioned perfectly. When they believed they had got all the stars they each sat down to admire their handiwork.

“I will admit, it turned out better than I thought I would,” Ikuno said as she compared the ceiling to their reference.

“You doubted us,” Miku huffed out. “How rude!”

“Now, now- Miku none of us are exactly artists,” Kokoro tried to mediate, placing a hand on Miku’s shoulder.

Ichigo sighed, causing the group to turn towards her. “It is nice, but still, it's just an imitation. I wish we could do something to make it special.” the group deflated a little at that, each coming to the realization that even with their work, the real thing still had them beat. Ichigo immediately picked up on that and became flustered, “Ah, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to bring the moral down.”

Zero-two silently leaned forward and took the book in her arms, flipping to Phoenix's individual page. She stood up and moved to where they had set their brushes down, picking one of the thinnest ones up. She pulled a chair over to where Phoenix was on the ceiling and got to work. The girls stayed quiet as they watched Zero-two, picking up on how focused she was. Zero-two was able to work fast, compared to her picture book the designs of the constellations were simple. When she stepped down from the chair, over where the constellation Phoenix was a fiery bird, the very same that was drawn on the page.

Zero-two went along, giving each and every constellation the same treatment. Besides Ikuno, none of them knew Zero-two could draw so beautifully- and even then Ikuno had never seen her in action. Slowly, their sky became alive with Zero-two’s vivid pictures of impossible creatures, heroes of myth, and so much more. When she finally sat back down, the sky was truly a masterpiece. 

“There, that’s a little better- something you can’t get from looking outside,” Zero-two said satisfied as she surveyed the ceiling. She considered her picture book her best work, her life’s work in many ways, but she wasn’t disappointed at all with how their sky turned out. When she looked back down she saw three pairs of eyes transfixed on her. Almost instantly, they all started talking at once, she was only able to make out a few things.

“Why did you keep it from us that you were such a good artist!?!” Miku basically shouted, in annoyance or excitement she couldn’t tell.

“Wow,” Kokoro marveled, “you’re amazing, Zero-two! Would you ever consider giving lessons?”

“I knew you were a good artist, but to work that fast, it's truly amazing,” Ikuno admired.

“With how good you are, no wonder Hiro’s been keeping you to himself. I bet he has you draw him pictures all the time,” Ichigo teases.

They keep up their clambering, and while she would admit she liked the attention, it was becoming a bit much. “Okay, Okay! I get it!” she called out, letting out a laugh. However, They did quite down. “Ichigo, thank you for thinking up this crazy idea. You’re always full of them, aren’t you?”

“I can’t help it, not when I’m around such crazy people,” she rebutted which earned her a shoulder in her side from Miku and a giggle from Kokoro.

Zero-two found herself smiling for the umpteenth time that day. She had honestly expected the day to be awful, but she couldn’t have been more wrong. If she had been left by herself, she expected the former would be true. She liked being part of this squad, it was pleasant and she felt...she felt happy with them, really happy. When she looked around the room, she realized she trusted these girls with something more meaningful that her life on the battlefield, but her heart off it. She couldn’t pinpoint exactly when she started letting her walls down around them, but they were barely there anymore- just tiny garden walls that could be easily hurled over. But they were still there, so she had to ask, “Why have you all been so nice to me?”

The room fell silent for a moment and the girls glanced at each other, then Kokoro broke the silence, “Ichigo and Goro had told us what happened and how worried you were for Hiro, and after seeing how Alpha treated him and how upset you were- I couldn’t stand for it. That’s when I suggested that we should spend some extra time with you today, make sure you’re not alone. But, I had such a pleasant time with you! I’ve never gotten to talk to someone so extensively about flowers, not even Mitsuru or Futoshi, and seeing how much care you put into the bouquet, it was really touching”

“Yeah, I had a lot of fun with you! Never in a million years would I have expected you to take up knitting with me,” Miku added, before taking up a softened tone, “ and I meant every word I said back there,”

“I’m glad you were willing to share something so personal with me, I won’t forget it,” Ikuno reassured.

“I hadn’t planned this actually, it just came to me on the spot. I’m really glad you decided to take up my offer, I half expected you to tell me to go away when you heard,” Ichigo said as she played with her hair, pretending she wasn’t at least slightly embarrassed that her part hadn’t been planned.

Kokoro was staring down at her lap with her hands were clenched onto her skirt, looking as if she was about to cry when she spoke quietly, “I’m sorry, Zero-two. We really weren’t trying to deceive you, I just wanted to help, I-” Zero-two silenced her by taking her shaking hands and lacing them with hers. When Kokoro looked up, Zero-two was smiling at her, understanding what she was trying to convey.

“It’s okay, Kokoro, I believe you- all of you. You didn’t have to do what you did, you wouldn’t have if you didn’t care. We should spend more time together, all of us. I didn’t realize I was missing out on so much.”

Kokoro nodded, letting go of one of her hands to wipe the tears that had welled up in her eyes. “I would like that a lot. After all, we should stick together, shouldn’t we? We’re pistils, we have to look out for each other. Our partners care for us and look out for us, but they don’t know how it is for a franxx to be your body- to be exposed out there like that. We have to have each other's backs, on and off the battlefield.”

Miku nodded, “Yeah, as stamen they just don’t get it something. Zorome can get ahead of himself sometimes and get too rough or try to move too fast.” She looked at the ground before adding, “but he is my partner, no one else could handle him.” She tried to look as if the comment did hold meaning to her, but her tone betrayed her.

“Mitsuru was so hesitant back we were partners, and Futoshi can be a little too forward for my liking. But if that’s all it takes to operate a franxx, it's no large lost,” Ikuno shrugged.

“Goro is great, he’s always looking out for me but he has gotten himself in more than a few sticky situations from forgetting to watch his own back,” Ichigo lammed, before turning to Zero-two with a mischievous look that was more characteristic of Zero-two than herself. “So then, what do you have to say about Hiro?”

“Hmm, well, he asks a lot of questions- he always has. It serves him well sometimes, but for a while, I couldn’t understand what he meant- why he wanted to know me better, know how I felt, or what I wanted. I understand better now what he means and why he asks,”

Ichigo gave her a curious look before asking, “What do you mean by he always had?”

“Back in the garden, he was always asking and wondering why things were the way they were. I know it got him into trouble with the caretakers and scientists, and got him into even more trouble when he found me.”

“Found you? Zero-two, you knew Hiro?” Kokoro questioned. The atmosphere of the room had changed to something a little heavier, none of them had asked about Zero-two’s past before. All they knew was she had used to be with the Nines and that she had many stamen in the past.

Zero-two nodded, “Yes, we were very close for a time.”

“Why did he never tell us about you?” Miku asked with her brows scrunched up, “Why would he keep that from us?”

“Yes, but more importantly why did you two act like you didn’t know each other?” Ikuno inquired, fast on the pickup to realize something was amiss.

“We didn’t know who the other was at the time, we only realized later,” Zero-two looked down at her hands as she answered, remember the less savory things she had done and said to her Darling.

“That doesn’t make sense. I could understand that maybe you wouldn’t recognize Hiro, but there’s no way Hiro wouldn’t recognize you. There’s no one else with your horns Zero-two, well besides Hiro but he didn’t have them back then. Explain,” Ichigostated with firmness in her voice.

“You’re right, it doesn’t make sense. It shouldn’t make sense.”

“What-What do you mean?” Ichigo stuttered, taken back.

Zero-two sighed, deciding that they were her squadmates and her friends, that there was no reason to keep it a secret. “Our memories were taken from us because of what we did, by all odds we should have never met, but my Darling never did abide by odds- even back then. He had gone against what he had been told and saved me. He helped me escape, and he taught me about the world. Before then, I had never been outside. The time we spend together, it was wonderful- he was kind and patient with me. He gave me my name then too.” She smiled softly at the time, memories of those snow-covered woods came back to her.

As much as she would have liked, that wasn’t the end of the story. She frowned at the memories, how her Darling had been ripped from her, how she hadn’t been able to protect him and cast her eyes to the ground. “I wish it could have stayed like that forever, I didn’t want my time with him to ever end. But, it didn’t take long for the adults to notice I was gone and to find us. They corned us, and he tried to protect me but he was just a child,” she paused to collect herself before continuing. “I hate them, I’ll always hate them for what they did to us. But I am thankful they didn’t use lethal force with him. They could have easily killed him. They took us back to that awful lab and tried to erase our memories. My Darling couldn’t resist, but I was able to, somehow. I was able to remember some of what happened, of the kindness he showed me and the promise we made, so I searched for him. I didn’t know what I was looking for, but I knew that when I found him, I would be able to protect him.”

They had all stayed silence while Zero-two told her story. Kokoro could feel the heartache in Zero-two’s story and wondered how she survived while carrying such pain alone for so long. Miku couldn’t stop the anger that was building inside her, how could the same adults they had been taught to look up to do something that horrible? Ikuno felt she understood how even in a day, no an instant, someone could cause such an impact in her heart. Ichigo found herself conflicted. She thought she knew Hiro the best out of their squad, even more so back then, but how could she have not noticed? There had to have been signs that his memories had been altered, but she knew logically even if there were, she wouldn’t have known what they meant, she couldn’t have. It didn’t ease the guilt, however.

“I only learned that he really was my Darling when our minds became one in Strelitzia, and we saw each other's memories. Doing so, the ones that had been forcefully suppressed came back to him and he remembered me. I can’t forgive myself for what I did to him and what I almost did to him, but he has, somehow. I don’t know if I deserve this chance I have with him, but I won’t waste it,” as Zero-two spoke, her voice slowly tapered off into a whisper. She hated that she felt out of control once again. Alpha now seemed as predatory as the adults had back then. She hated that she didn’t know if her Darling was okay and that she didn’t know exactly the Nines were doing with him. There were too many variables, too many possibilities that raced through her mind.

“Hey, we’ll get him back, I promise,” Ichigo comforted. “If he’s not back by tomorrow morning, we’ll go find him, consequences be damned.”

“Do you mean that?” Zero-two asked, hoping that Ichigo came through and wasn’t just giving her empty words.

“I do, and it's not just me,” Ichigo said looking around finding the same answer in her squadmates' eyes. “We’ll go and get the answers we deserved. I should have never accepted that Nana left us in the dark.”

Zero-two lifted her eyes from the ground to look, willing herself to met Ichigo’s expression. She saw no trace of falsehood or buffs there. While she didn’t let herself relax, she found comfort in that fact. When she looked around, she found in the other girls as well. While Nana and Hachi could still deny them, with more than just herself, she was more likely to get the answers she wanted. She knew in the back of her mind that Ichigo and Goro would at least help her, which she was grateful for- but now with Kokoro, Miku, and Ikuno on her side, she felt more secure. Less like they were fighting a losing battle and more like that while the odds weren’t on their side, they still had a chance. Zero-two found herself nodding, deciding to firm her will as well. “We’ll get him back, and when we do I won’t let him go again.”

Tomorrow, her Darling would be back in her arms- she swore on it. He had already been in those damned Nines’ claws for far too long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The goal of this chapter was to basically show rather than tell that Zero-two is becoming closer to and becoming part of Squad 13. She is part of the squad on her own, not just through Hiro's involvement. She exists without him just as he exists without her and has her own relationships with each character. Now, the way she interacts with them does heavily mention Hiro because he acts as a bridge between her and the other members of Squad 13, but as she becomes closer to her squadmates that bridge will be needed less and less. I had actually intended and wrote Zero-two bonding with Goro, Mitsuru, and Futoshi but that increased the length by nearly 10,000 words so I decided to do away with it. However, she will be getting time with each of them in the future
> 
> I've been trying to work Zero-two's scarf in since the beginning but I struggled to find a way how since she didn't seem to bring anything with her when she joined Squad 13, but when I was trying to think of ways Zero-two could bond with the other pistils I decided to kill two birds with one stone. Unfortunately, I believe Miku is perhaps the most undeveloped members of squad 13, so I found it was time to give her some love she rightfully deserves. 
> 
> I understand if there's some disappointment with how mellow this chapter was, but character interactions and interpersonal development has always been my specialty and one of the most interesting aspects of writing to me. The next chapter will still have that, but also be heavy on more faster-paced scenes. Also, the wait won't be as long as I wrote about half of these chapters side by side so it won't take me as long to finish.


	9. Split Jian: Fall from Grace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hiro learns more about the Nines and their history with Zero-two through Alpha as unexpected delays arise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the endnotes, explanations about some of the choices I made with characters and some in-universe changes. Also, this is the last chapter that will be posted before some housekeeping takes place- I will be going back and combing out mistakes with spelling and grammar and inconsistently in the previous chapters so the wait between this and the next chapter will definitely be more than two weeks as I want to do this well.

Alpha had accompanied him while the rest of the Nines presumably headed the docks, leaving him alone with the Nines’ ringleader. He hadn’t asked, but Alpha had felt his confusion and clarified that it was only necessary for Nana to brief the two of them. Hiro had a feeling the only reason a briefing was even being held was because of himself, as it was clear the Nines had authority his caretakers- perhaps only second to Papa and APE. Alpha was suffocatingly close, from guiding Hiro by the hip since they had left their transport to now standing only a hair’s distance way from touching shoulders. His presence was emphasized by the fact that there were the only two there, making Hiro feel all the more isolated and trapped. Alpha’s hand felt heavy on his waist, a silent gesture that made it clear that for the time being, Hiro was his. He had constantly kept his hands on Hiro since he had first caught him this morning, displaying an uncalled for clinginess. However, it didn’t take long for Hiro to guess what was the source of Alpha’s actions- he was crudely imitating Zero-two. There was no affection in these gestures, but perhaps a hint of possessiveness and curiosity at what the appeal was. Wheather Alpha intended this to be a powerplay or was a poor attempt to make Hiro for agreeable was beyond his scope of understanding. For now, he endured it.

Alpha hand slid off of Hiro’s hip, completely letting go of him for the first time that day. It didn’t last for long as Alpha reached up and took hold of Hiro’s shoulder, pivoting from Hiro's side to his front. The motion hadn’t made a single sound as he gilded effortlessly. “You’ve realized why we are here, don’t you?” Alpha hummed, his playful tone contradicted by the stoniness in his misty eyes.

Hiro stayed silent, taking in the question. By Alpha’s tone, he could guess that no matter what his answer would, it would be the wrong one. It was clear that this was a game to Alpha, and it was all the more clear that Alpha didn’t take gambles that he hadn’t already rigged. He had come prepared with a royal flush already up his sleeve.

Alpha let the silence stretch out uncomfortably long, and right as Hiro gave in and opened his answer to alleviate it, he lifted a finger to his lips, effectively silencing Hiro. He jolted back, hating the familiarity of the gesture with an unfamiliar person. Unfortunately, Alpha’s grip was still ironclad on his shoulder. “It’s not nice to ignore others, I would have thought as parasites that you would be trained better," Alpha teased, his voice dripping with condescension. “Although, you were always part of a special squad. You’ve been spoiled, given too long of a leash.”

Alpha’s gaze trailed upwards, and Hiro could feel him looking at his horns. Since he had first got them, he had never been embarrassed or ashamed of them- but now, he felt the need to cover them. Before he could reach up, Alpha brought his free hand up, reaching for his horns. Hiro’s eyes widened at the fact, and his hand immediately shot up to grasp Alpha’s wrist harder than strictly necessary, his now claws digging into them. Alpha had already invaded his space, but to touch his horns, that would have been a step too far. The part of him he shared with Zero-two, that was theirs and theirs alone.

Alpha seemed unbothered by Hiro’s act of defiance, even after having been let to do as he wished thus far without much resistance. He simply pulled his hand out of Hiro’s wrist, causing Hiro to bring his lips back into a snarl thinking he would go for a second try. Instead, Alpha lower his hand to trace his fingers over the corners of Hiro’s eyes, right where his skin had gained the same blue as his horns. Hiro huffed, turning his head away from Alpha’s touch. He didn’t like this turn of events much better but it didn’t evoke such a visceral reaction as before.

“Look at what’s she done to you,” Alpha smirked as if he was in on a secret. “You need to be tamed. A wild beast like Iota would only encourage a fledgling as yourself.” Alpha crooned as he let go of Hiro’s shoulder, causing him to stumble back and nearly fall. The reprise was fleeting, as Alpha shot forward to take a first full of Hiro’s uniform and pulled him forward harshly, catching him completely off guard. Their small height differences forced Hiro to be uncomfortably hunched over. What was even more surprising was that he next caressed Hiro’s check with such softness, trailing down to beneath his chin to hold it up, forcing Hiro to stare into his glassy eyes. “I am to take you under my wing. You’ll soon realize only those who fly with a flock survive.”

"I already have my flock," Hiro snapped back, turning away from Alpha's eyes. It was already getting tiresome being around him.

Alpha simply laughed, letting go of Hiro to clap his hands together. He seemed genuinely assumed at his response. "We'll see about that," he said with a tilt of his head, clearly disagreeing. Alpha swiveled back so that he was next to Hiro, reaching in his pocket while doing so. Followed immediately was the small click of some sort of device. Before Hiro had a chance to ponder what it might be, the pneumatic sound of the door opening cut him off. Nana walked in but looked slightly flustered compared to her usual demeanor. She only just walked in enough so the door could close behind her.

She stared Alpha down with a look that could kill, “Alpha, how long did you plan to lock me out?” 

“Now, now, don’t be that way. I just thought we’d have a little chat,” he laughed out, gesturing to Hiro. “No harm done, see.”

“You’ll have plenty of time to talk once your mission is complete.” Nana looked as if she wanted to say more, but stopped herself short. As much as she would have loved to reprimand Alpha for his behavior as she would do her parasites, he was part of Papa’s special squad. It would be safe to assume that her jurisdiction over them was very limited if it existed at all. She settled on a sigh and a shake of her head, continuing to the center of the room, regaining her composure as if she was just briefing for a standard drill. She turned her attention completely to Hiro. She wasn’t a fool to think Alpha hadn’t been giving the orders before her. She then noticed that neither of them had gotten changed, which was odd but there was no need to call attention to it. The Nines might just have different procedures, or more likely Alpha was functioning on the base of his whims.

“You are to complete two missions. The first is a drill, the purpose of your mission is to adjust you to being a pistil, Hiro. During this drill, a mock battle with taking place with you functioning as pistil for Nines Alpha. Your opponents will be two franxx, will the goal being to hold them off. Nines Beta and Nines Gamma have volunteered to be your opponents, along with their partners, Eta and Theta. After your skills are deemed sufficient, you will travel east away from the Gran Crevasse. Nines Delta and Epsilon will join you as your escorts along with the others. In that area, several packs of Conrad class klaxosaur have traveled into that area at alarming speeds and numbers. During the course of these missions, Zeta- Alpha’s partner- will remain on standby. The overarching goal of these missions is to prove that you can handle combat in a pistil role. Is that understood?”

“Yes, except for one thing. How will I connect to Alpha?” Hiro was troubled by the fact that Nana seemed to gloss over that fact, knowing his history. It's not like she could have forgotten his failures to connect to Naomi and Ichigo. And just as concerning was that to his knowledge both Alpha and him would only provide positive pulses, with a lack of a negative pulse they wouldn’t be able to activate a franxx. He didn’t like being left in the dark.

“It should be no problem. Since you connected to Iota, you should be able to connect to any of us,” Alpha answered for her. “We carry her blood, I’ll be able to bring you to me just fine.”

“But..”

“Enough, it's already been decided,” Nana said firmly, before softening, “Hiro, just focus on your role. Please understand, if you are not able to complete these missions you will be removed from Strelitzia and any other franxx, deemed too unstable.”

Hiro furrowed his brow at that, it didn’t make sense. Regardless of his ability to pistil, he still would be able to stamen for Zero-two just fine. He didn’t voice his concerns, he knew better now that none of his questions would be answered. He tightened his fist, adults haven’t changed at all, only the environment. “Understood, I’ll do my best.” 

“Hachi and I will be providing directions and support from the control room. Please make your way to the docks,” Nana said, giving him one last smile. Before she left, she paused and looked back at Hiro, “Your numbers in Strelitzia have been on the rise, Hiro. Don’t worry, you should be able to do this.” She turned and left before he could respond.

Hiro let his shoulders relax a little, and let out a small smile. While Nana was still an adult, but he couldn't bring himself to dislike her. It was clear she had a soft spot for them, but that only went so far. She was willing to do what she thought it took to win, even if that meant sacrificing one of his squadmates. She scolded them when they went off on their own or when their antics got out of hand and affected their numbers. However, she was willing to hear them out and genuinely seemed like she wanted to avoid getting them harmed not only because they were parasites but people as well. That was more than he could say for most adults.

“A special caretaker for a special squad,” Alpha chuckled, pulling Hiro out of his thoughts. “Go get changed, don’t keep us waiting, okay? I want to see what you’re made of,” Alpha threw back as he made his way to the door. The sweetness in his tone left a foul taste in Hiro’s mouth, but he obeyed nonetheless.

* * *

When Hiro entered from the far side of the docks, Alpha was waiting for him. He was clad in a suit similar to the one Zero-two had originally worn, blood red with white highlights. He was leaned against a railing, the slight breeze ruffling his hair as he wore a soft expression, scanning the expanses outside of the docks. At that moment, he could have passed as being the same as any other child. It was fleeting, only lasting until he turned to Hiro and opened his mouth, “Ah, so that’s your parasite suit now. I would have expected them to just have you were Iota's, but this is simply adorable- a mixture of a stamen’s and a pistil’s.”

“Isn’t your’s the same?” Hiro shot back, vexed at his comments but also genuinely curious. Alpha’s suit resembled that of a pistil’s more than anything else, but he did have a smaller headpiece than was typical. He assumed that meant Alpha could take either role, which also piqued his curiosity at how the interface of his franxx was programmed.

“How to do you think you’d look in red?” Alpha asked, voting to ignore Hiro’s question. “I think it might suit you.”

“Huh?” Hiro was absolutely confused at the sudden turn in the conversation to a completely unrelated matter.

“With the changes you've gone through, don’t you think you’re more fit to be with us than mingling with humans? After all, you're only playing human now, just like Iota. You might even be able to pull Iota out of her delusion, _Kappa_.”

“Kappa?” 

“Do you like the taste of it on your tongue? If you’re good, Papa might reward you with it. Better than code 016, isn’t it?” Alpha smiled as he extended his hand to Hiro, an offer.

“I am perfectly fine with Hiro,” he said firmly. He had no interest in mingling with the Nines more than strictly necessary. Zero-two didn’t trust them, and he trusted her enough to believe that this wasn’t a misplaced belief. So far Alpha had failed to prove himself otherwise.

“Ah, those nicknames your squad uses,” Alpha said as he brought his hand up to wave Hiro off as if he had not just been rejected. “Did Iota give them to you? She has quite an attachment to that one she calls herself, yet I can’t see the reason. She’s already a Nines, a cut above the rest and with a designation to show it. There’s no need to distinguish herself further.”

“If you know her name, why don’t you try calling her Zero-two?” Hiro said flippantly, knowing it would fall on deft ears, as he began to walk towards Strelitzia. There was no use for future small talk. “She might like you better then if you didn’t blatantly disrespect her.”

Before he got even a few footsteps, Alpha snagged his wrists. “You’ve had your taste of Strelitzia, but now it's time for you to feel a real franxx, wouldn’t you agree?”

“What do you mean? Pistils don’t change franxx.”

Alpha hummed, “Not typically, but we can make an exception.”

Hiro shook his head at that, while he didn’t particularly like the idea of Alpha riding in Strelitzia with him, that was already settled that he indeed had to ride with Alpha. He didn’t want to discard the only familiar aspect of the equation. What Alpha had said was also confusing in itself. Strelitzia was a perfectly fine franxx, perhaps the best he had ever seen. Of course, he was aware enough to admit he was biased, but his belief in her did have merit. She always had shone brightly on the battlefield.

“Don’t be like that. Think of it as a reward, as I said perhaps you’ll give promoted to a Nines. This will just be a taste for when you have your own nine model. Strelitzia- she’s just a prototype. She had power, more than a normal franxx, but it's raw and undefined, inconsistent even. The nine models are her betters, the perfected version. She only remains because Iota has the highest numbers in her and Doctor Franxx is attached to her”

Hiro was taken back by a few things. He would have never guessed that Strelitzia was a prototype for the Nines’ franxx. While the nine models did look distinctive, they were more similar to Strelitzia than they were other franxx. Somehow, he didn’t completely by it. While it was plausible the model nines were built using Strelitzia’s groundwork, he didn’t believe that Strelitzia was only built as a prototype for the nine models. However, what was more interesting to him was that Zero-two had ridden in another franxx. He had always seen Strelitzia as an extension of her. Strelitzia herself was almost as distinctly as Zero-two, no other franxx was as eye-catching on and off the battlefield as she was. And again, he had been brought to believe pistils did not change franxx. He decided to take the bait since Zero-two was not fond at all of talking about her time with the Nines and he wanted to respect her boundaries. “Zero-two has ridden in another franxx?”

Alpha let out a little laugh, “Of course, she was a Nines, after all. Originally there were nine of our franxx in total- one for each of us should the need arise.” Alpha’s characteristic smile fell into a frown, casting an icy expression over this face. “However, Iota only used hers once- to destroy it. There had been no threat, she had launched with no permission and only for that purpose. She paid no mind to the harm it caused to her body, her own injuries reflective of those on her franxx. She has always been so disdainfully wasteful, but she does know how to send a message. She was allowed to use Strelitzia once again after that.”

As if the wound was still fresh, Alpha seemed troubled by what he had said. It was strange to see such a look at him. A few moments passed with Alpha retreated into his thoughts, but then he brought his eyes back to Hiro, “Enough about Iota. I’m your partner today, aren’t I?” His tone wasn’t exactly irritated, but it was close, so he decided to stop pushing him. With Hiro’s lack of resistance, Alpha took it as a chance to pull him towards the nine models.

As Alpha lead him away, he indulged himself and let his eyes linger on Strelitzia. It wasn’t just the aesthetic differences that concerned Hiro about riding in a nine model. Even when he was only indirectly connected to Strelitzia as a stamen, he could feel how strong of a presence she had. After being directly connected to her as her pistil, the feeling became more pronounced. It had made him realize he had been feeling Strelitzia all this time during his time piloting, not just Zero-two. At the time it had not been his focus, but looking back, he could remember how different Delphinium and Ichigo had felt. The feeling that Strelitzia gave him during battles as if she were an extension of their wills, had been muffled.

The closest unit to Strelitzia was Alpha’s. The forward pieces of her head crest and frames around her face slide back so her faceplate could come forward, giving them access to her cockpit. Alpha slipped behind him and ushered him forward into the franxx first. Once inside, the cockpit looked the same as Strelitzia’s or Delphinium’s. It settled him somewhat, as strange as it was changing franxx that at least one thing has remained the same. Hiro sat down, clicking his heels into the pistil locks with ease that surprised him despite his air of nervousness. When he felt a hand on his shoulder, his mind has automatically assumed to was Zero-two, comforting as she had the first time that rode like this. However, when turned back the only saw Alpha.

“Don’t worry, just focus on bringing me in. I’ll handle the rest,” Alpha tried to sympathize with him, his voice more gentle than it had been so far. For once, the lighter emotions in his voice seemed genuine.

Hiro nodded, then shifted back so he was facing forward in the dark cockpit. He took a deep breath to center himself before he leaned down clicked his hands into the locks and awaited the command.

“The franxx locks have been opened, commence connecting,” Hachi commed in, his voice steady and calm as ever.

Hiro felt the handles lift off of his thighs and closed his eyes, waiting for Alpha to initiate. “Now, let’s see how you feel,” Alpha said jovially as he grasped the handles.

Where Zero-two had been precise and gentle, Alpha was forceful and overbearing. He gasped, feeling Alpha enter his mind as if he had been physically struck. The pressure was overwhelming, building and building as Alpha continued to push against the confines of his mind. Hiro tried to reach out for him, anything to make this unbearable pain stop, but he struggled to extend his offer as he was pushed back. He tried to reach out again and again but he couldn’t quite make it.

He remembered this feeling too well, of uselessly trying to take hold only to fail. It was completely unwelcome, he had hoped he would never have to feel again. No matter their efforts, he had never been able to reach Naomi. Even when it felt like she was right up against him, he had been blind and lost, unable to grasp her. When he had tried to connect, tried everything to connect, had he been this forceful? Had he hurt her as he was hurting now? She always seems so ragged after their attempts. The guilt he had for being a failure of a partner came back with a vengeance, along with the guilt that in such a short time he had forgotten.

He wouldn’t make anyone feel that way again, he couldn’t live with himself if he did- even if it was Alpha. He strengthened his will, ignoring the pain and putting all his efforts into opening up for Alpha. He felt as if he could see the shape of his mind in the distance, and reached out. He rushed forward to meet Alpha and they collided as the confines finally gave. But Alpha was relentless, either unknowing or uncaring he continued his assault, causing their paracapacity to skyrocket. And like that, instead of dipping into the shallows of each other's minds, they fell.

* * *

_The inside of the lab was timeless, with its bright lights and white walls. The only semblance of the passing of time was the scientists who would periodically shift in and out, but they were all faceless and voiceless to him. Distinguishing between them would have been difficult if he had cared to, but there was no need. Only what they did for him mattered, and they were all wonderfully trained to handle his maintenance the same. The smell of chemicals and the low whirring of technology, it surrounded him, inescapable. But he was fine with that, preferred it even. It was familiar and comforting, he knew the others felt the same._

_They had all gone back at the same time, and as he was guiding towards the exit he knew he could expect to see them all back at the same time, they all matched up perfectly. Like clockwork, he heard each of them walk out of the rooms they each had been taken back to for testing. Their gates were slightly different, so he could tell who was on each of his sides- today, Zeta was to his right and Theta to his left. A caretaker was waiting at the end of the hallway, and collectively they were lead back to where they had come from before by her. They could have walked back by themselves, at this point they knew the whole layout of the building or at least the areas they were aloud. The adult with them unlocked the door by passcode, but did not follow them in- they never did. Besides themselves, there were only two others that even came into the Vitro._

_Once inside the circular room, he noticed that she was there and smiled. They had been told she was one of them, despite not looking like them- with her skin red and tall horns sprouted from each side of her head. Her fangs were sharp, at this point they had all been bitten many times. At the ends of her fingers were mangled claws, she was always biting at them so the ends were brittle and her fingers were bruised. She was so different, yet she must have been one of them. He had been told she was, so it must be true. The adults had never lied to them, and never would._

_She was seated at one of the curved tables that were flush against the wall, with her back turned to all of them. This was the usual for when she came in when they were gone. While she hadn't spared them a signal look, he knew that she had heard them come._

_When he went up and sat next to her, the others waited and watched. They had learned long ago that interacting with her as a group was a bad idea and would only cause aggression. It was so odd, to be more comfortable alone than with them. They were only ever apart for their testing and maintenance, otherwise, they were together and they all preferred it that way. Yet she seemed to hate it._

_Maybe this time he would get her to talk to him. He wanted to know why she acted so differently than they did, why she thought so differently than them. They all each other as well as they knew themselves. While there were small discrepancies between them in appearance and thinking, generally they shared the same mindset. She was the outlier._

_He swiveled his chair to face her, seeing that she was drawing a picture of sorts. Again, another one of her odd mannerisms. She noticed he was looking over her, and stopped her drawing to shoot him a venomous look. She moved her arm to block him from being able to see and went back to her drawing. She was always doing silly things like that as if they had anything to hide from each other._

_He decided to start with the safest question, the easiest one.“How long will you be staying with us this time?” No response._

_“What were you doing while you weren't with us?” No response._

_“Did you find out who your partner will be?” No response._

_“How are your numbers?” No response._

_"Did you come in with Doctor Franxx?" No response._

_“Did you get your aptitude results back yet? Will you be a pistil or stamen?” No response._

_“Do you go outside the lab?” No response._

_“Why do you go for testing for longer and without us?” No response._

_He drew his hands into fists under the table, his frustration rising. It had been like this for months. “Why do you ignore us?” No response._

_She wouldn’t stop her drawing, how could that be more important than they were? There was only one answer in his mind, it couldn’t be. So naturally, he stood up and suddenly reached over and snagged the edge of the paper pulling it out from under her. She must just be confused, he would show her the way- show her what is and is not important._

_He stood up and took a few paces back so he could take a look at the paper. On it, an image started to form to what looked to be a woman with wings. Just as he expected, it was not important. It was fantasy- they should be focused and grounded in reality. That’s what made for good pilots._

_“Give it back!” she snarled as she stood up. Ah finally, a response._

_"What's so important about this? You’re confused, it's alright. I can help.”_

_She didn't say anything, just lunged at him but he slipped out of the way. She landed in a crouch and turned to him, tears welling up in her eyes. Now he confused, now she was crying? He was being kind, trying to show her the way things should be. There was no need to be upset, it was unreasonable to be upset._

_“Now, don’t be upset. This paper, it isn’t important. We should pay attention to each other. You don’t exactly look like it, but you’re one of us, right? But we can look past your appearance, most of us look a little different and while you look a lot different it’s the same principle. Why don’t we talk now?”_

_She just snarled and launched off the ground at him. He jumped back again, but he wasn't fast enough. She caught the end of the paper and tugged. He didn't let go, only holding on tighter. The two forces naturally ripped the paper in half in a jagged way._

_She looked stunned, absolutely taken back to the point where she dropped her end of the paper. Yet she did not look at him. She only looked at the side of the paper still in his hand. She snapped out of her trace, shaking her head as if that would make her tears go away. She leaned over to pick her end up, carefully as if it were precious._

_She still ignored him and it infuriated him. Why wouldn't she pay attention to them? She was one of them! Why did she not want to talk, not want to interact! He couldn't believe it, he couldn't understand why. He would get her attention, somehow. Taking her paper had for a moment, so he did all he could think of. As she started to lift her half of the paper off the ground, he stepped on it. He crushed it under his boot, crinkling it. She jolted back, finally looking at him. He would force her out of this delusion for her own good._

_There were no longer tears in her eyes, only anger. But he had her attention. To keep it, he ripped up the remaining half as damaging the paper as it the only thing that kept her attention. It did just as he wanted, she didn't look away, her eyes widening. With that out of the way, she should be able to come back to reality, back to them and he could show her the way. It was alright, it just meant she was a little slower than the rest of them. He could get her up to speed. "Finally," he said, relieved. "Now, why don't you talk to us. There no need to-"_

_Alpha didn't get to finish his sentence. She bolted up faster than he thought was possible. With a scream, she slashed him across the face with her nails. She had thrown all her weight at him, knocking him over. He lifted his arms to protect his face as she continued her assault, tearing in the cloth of his shirt and bloodying his arms._

_The other Nines came to his aid immediately, trying to pull her off him, but then she just started slashing at them as well. How could she?!? They were particularly siblings yet she was hurting them all! It didn't make any sense!_

_The door open and adults flooded in for the first time. They pushed through the other Nines, who backed away at their silent command. They pulled her off him all while she was kicking and screaming wordlessly, trying to fight them off as well. It was nonsensical, not only disobeying the adults but fighting them. One of the adults lifted a syringe to her neck, injecting something in her. She was forced to relax as her body started to go limp, obviously betraying her if judging by her continued fighting- which was now useless. They dragged her out then, many of the adults following, armed with guns and blunt weapons. The few adults that remained attended to their wounds, the first they had ever sustained._

_He didn't understand her at all. She was more of a mystery than ever._

* * *

Hiro panted, as his vision finally returned to him. He was confused at what he had seen, what he had felt. He wasn't where he had been, he wasn't with Zero-two anymore. He looked around him to see the hanger and the barren landscape outside the plantation, reminding him that he was in a franxx. They must have been able to connect and what he saw...must had been one of Alpha's memories. Wonderful. If he had been in Alpha’s mind, Alpha had been in his.

"Ah, and I thought Iota put a heavy load on her partners,” Alpha said smugly as if he wasn’t clearly winded himself. His voice was uneven and slightly shaken, but he was trying to play it off.

“What did you see?” Hiro deadpanned, demanding more than asking. He recovered faster than Alpha, having already experienced something similar before. He really wasn’t fond of Alpha knowing his innermost thoughts, there were things up there that he really didn’t want to share. Memories that were private, definitely not for prying eyes- even if they had been unintentional prying eyes.

“What did I see? How did you know that I- it’s not important, focus," Alpha stuttered out. As irritating as how he brushed him off was, he did get some satisfaction at having caused Alpha to trip over his words.

Hiro was going to bite out a response, but Alpha chose then, of course, to start moving. Hiro huffed to himself, judging by his reaction Alpha had seen something he shouldn’t but it didn’t look like he’d have any luck getting it out of him now. It would be hard enough to stay in synchronization without added tension between them, he needed to push it to the back of his mind for now. He’d just have to pry it out of Alpha later.

As they made their way out the hanger, it was clear that a nine model felt different that Strelitzia. Where moving in Strelitzia felt natural and it felt like Zero-two was one with his mind, the model nine felt a little stilted and more like Alpha was commanding him than anything else. He realized with an air of surprise that they were going fully outside the plantation, not in an arena of any sort. “Why are we outside the plantation?”

“Simple, we’re going up against two franxx and we’re going to need a lot of room. Just wait, I’ll show what a nine model can really do,” Alpha said confidently, almost arrogantly. Hiro rolled his eyes, unconvinced.

Outside, the two other nine models were already waiting for them. They had their usual lances, but by the looks of it their magma tips had been replaced with dull blades. The closest of them had two lances and held one of them out. Taking it, the weight felt somewhat weird in Hiro’s hands, being a lot lighter than Strelitzia’s lance.

“Alpha, what took you so long?” one of the Nines commed in, the one with pale blue hair. He honestly didn’t know any of their names besides Alpha, he hadn’t been around them enough to know. Zero-two hadn’t mentioned any besides Alpha in detail, either. Seeing him also reminded Hiro that all the Nines piloted with the males as the pistil, which made him curious as to how Alpha was working as stamen now. Just another thing on his growing list of what he’d have to ask Alpha later. “Getting cold feet, are we?”

“Of course not, don’t think so little of me, Beta,” Alpha laughed, “We just had a little trouble connecting, that’s all.”

“You? having trouble connecting? What else is new?” another one commed in, this time one with a shade of dull magenta. Both of their partners were being oddly quiet.

“Just my pistil,” Alpha said, waving them off. “Nothing to worry about.”

“Your pistil?” It annoyed him how Alpha was talking about as he owned him now. 

“Don’t be a spoilsport,” Alpha chimed. “Now, let’s get started. If I remember right, you’ll both be trying to take us on. So, go on, then.” When Alpha pulled on the controls but he found no reason to resist him despite his annoyance, falling into line as Alpha brought them into a slight crouch. The two pistils laughed lightly, obviously seeing this as nothing more than a game. With how lightly they were taking this, it made him think that the Nines must have spared each other before, maybe frequently. The two moved their franxx back to put some space between Alpha and them before taking a similar position.

Hiro felt Alpha in his head and followed his thoughts, it wasn’t unconscious like it had been with Zero-two but he could make this work. They darted forward towards the two franxx, the others saw their movements and both took the defensive, their spears crossing like an x in front of them to take the brunt of the impact. However, it was a feint- Hiro darted around their flanks to strike one in the back. The other franxx barely spun around in time to block the attack.

“You’re not bad at all,” Alpha chuckled, “this, I can work with.” Hiro could feel his approval and confidence through their connection, it bled into him as well. Hiro had been worried about taking on two franxx with an unfamiliar partner in an unfamiliar franxx, but Alpha was skillful in battle if nothing else. 

Their opponents didn’t sit still. As they clashed spears with one franxx, the other lunged downwards in an attempt to take their legs out from under them. At the last second, Alpha let his spear give- causing the other franxx to fall forward because of the resistance they had been putting up. Masterfully, Alpha had them dodge both the franxx now falling towards them and the one still rushing forward to meet them by using only one of the thrusters on the large side wings to throw their franxx into an upwards corkscrew. Considering their positions, any other pilots would have fallen on top of each other, but the Nines’ skilled handling allowed the two franxx to get upright without a collision. Alpha used this moment of repress to put some distance between them, using his spear as a pivot to catch them.

“You’re faster than I would have thought, I understand why Iota chose to keep you after all,” one of the franxx said, recalling the voice it seemed to be Beta.

“Perfect as a stamen and pistil, as to be expected of our leader,” Gamma added. Their two stamens still remained silent, it was becoming uncanny at this point.

“Well now, don’t get ahead of yourselves. We’re not done yet,” Alpha said as he brought their franxx into dash once more. Hiro stayed quiet, finding the dynamic between the Nines interesting. While they acted chilly and somewhat uptight to outsiders, they seemed very comfortable and friendly around each other.

This time their attack was not a feint, Alpha clashed head-on with Gamma, pushing his franxx back a significant amount having engaged both of their larger thrusters. However, Alpha had only grabbed their lance with one of the franxx’s hands. So when Beta went for what should have been his blindside, Alpha caught him in an uppercut with their lance connecting square under the franxx’s chin. The impact sent the franxx flying backward and this time they were not able to or chose not to catch themselves. With the few seconds they had before Beta was on them once again, Hiro brought his spear forward and to catch Gamma. Gamma was able to sidestep most of Hiro’s lunge, but he caught the wing connected to his leg throwing him off balance. Taking the opportunity, Hiro kicked him in the chest forcing him to the ground. During this Gama had dropped his spear, sending it in the other direction from the two franxx. Now defenseless, Hiro brought the spear to his neck.

“Game over,” Alpha said with an air of intimidation.

“Not yet!” Beta yelled just as he was upon them. Hiro didn’t have time to react, but Alpha did. He swung himself behind Gamma and picked him up, having the spear cross over his throat and effectively pinning Gamma to them. This stopped Beta’s pursuit, seeing that they now had a hostage.

“That’s enough,” Hachi commed in unexpectedly.

“Ah, things were just starting to get fun,” Alpha complained, letting go of Gamma. “Can’t we play for a little longer?”

“Code 016 is still a recently assigned pistil, continuing any longer would put unnecessary strain on him and affect the ability of the team to complete the remaining mission. His stability has been sufficiently proven, for the time being, you may now continue on to your second objective,” Hachi said, unaffected by Alpha’s tone.

“Fine, fine,” Alpha sighed, reaching down to the tip of the spear and pulling a sheath off- so the blades hadn’t been replaced after all. Beta did the same and Gamma did as well once he retrieved his lance.

“You guys have had enough fun without me, don’t you think?” an unfamiliar stamen commed in. He looked over and saw the remaining nine model heading out of the hanger towards them.

“Don’t blame us because you drew the short end of the stick, Delta,” Beta said, holding up both of his arms in an open palm gesture.

“I don’t see why Alpha couldn’t have gone up against all of us,” she complained.

“He might have been able to, but his pistil wouldn’t have,” Gamma said as if it was a matter of fact.

“I’m listening, you know,” Hiro finally spoke, his annoyance bubbling over. He did have a name and being claimed as Alpha's pistil did not agree with him at all.

“So you do speak. What’s your code again?” Gamma yawned. Hiro thought that was very hypocritical of him, considering his stamen hadn’t said a word. He was also pretty sure they all knew his code and his name. His hunch wasn’t out of arrogance, he just suspected that the Nines did not tolerate being in the dark about anything that their attention was called to.

“My name is Hiro,” he said firmly, not leaving anything to question.

“Your name? I asked what your code was,” Gamma said, curiosity laced in his tone.

“He insists to be called by that nickname,” Alpha said with a laugh. “He even goes as far to insist that Iota-”

“It’s Zero-two, how many times must I say that,” Hiro sighed, knowing he was fighting a losing battle.

“See? He’s as feisty as her,” Alpha continued.

“Wow. I can’t believe you let him interrupt you like that.” Delta paused, her tone changing from surprised to smug, “You haven’t gone soft, have you?”

Alpha just chuckled, not saying anything- which confused Hiro even more. 

“Cut the chatter you two,” Beta called out, “klaxosaurs won’t kill themselves.”

The other franxx fell into a place with Alpha’s as the spearhead, Gamma flanking them on the right and Beta on the left, Delta followed directly behind bringing them into a diamond formation. They kept a stable pace while heading to where Nana had directed them, keeping a tight formation even when they had to swerve to avoid large crevasses and breakage in the ground. The Nines fell silent for the time being, but it wasn’t tense. The atmosphere between them was strangely light considering that they were going into battle, even if the klaxosaur had been reported as only Conrad class. But, maybe that should be expected from an elite team. Zero-two had acted similarly at first, actually annoyed at how cautious the rest of their squad had been.

“Alpha, spotted one,” Beta said with a lack of urgency. Glancing over, on the horizon were klaxosaurs. They were too far away to distinguish their shape, but there was a decent amount of them- seemingly traveling pretty fast as Nana had said.

"I'll comm it in to command," Gamma volunteered.

“Let’s go, then,” Alpha responded before turning sharply, being able to move suddenly at a faster pace because of the twin thrusters on the side wings. The other Nines followed suit, but instead of holding their formation they peeled off to form a line. As they got closer, Hiro could make out the shape of the klaxosaurs better. They were larger for a Conrad class and there was a startling amount of them. They were shaped like wolves, their eyes and fangs a glowing blue. they ran packed closely together, nearly on top of each other.

When they collided with them, the klaxosaur immediately disintegrated with little force. their cores sitting squarely in their chests, shining clearly through their translucent skin making them easy targets. The Nines then spread out, seeing that there was no danger significant enough that they needed to stay clump together. Alone, each nine model easily cut through every klaxosaur they encountered, but throughout the fighting, something seemed off to Hiro. The klaxosaurs were putting up too little of a fight. Sparing with the Nines put more strain on him that the actual fighting they were doing. He would have ignored it if it wasn’t for the numbers the klaxosaurs had amounted to. There was a huge amount of them, and Zero-two had struggled near the garden fighting far less than there were now. But unlike then, the klaxosaurs were barely attacking the Nines, more so just running into them when they were in their path. As for their path, they seemed to be spiraling around a center point, but there was nothing special there, just bare rocks. None of the Nines said anything about this, they just continued tearing through the klaxosaurs while exchanging laughs, saying how pathetic the klaxosaurs were.

“Alpha, something’s wrong,” Hiro voiced as his worries continued mounting. He felt if he keep ignoring his thoughts it could be detrimental.

“Hm? If anything, the only thing wrong is that this was barely worth coming out for. Your makeshift squad could have handled this.”

“No, that’s it,” Hiro said, swallow down a retort about his squad. Now wasn’t the time for that. “This is too easy. Maybe we should-”

“It’s the power of a proper franxx, that’s all,” Alpha laughed. “Now that you’ve had a taste, I bet you don’t want to go back.”

“No, Alpha, listen-”

“Alpha,” Delta commed in, “this is just too boring, you guys really did have all the fun without me. There’s no need to continue on like this.”

“Delta’s right, let’s just take the rest out with one fatal swoop,” Beta 

“I was just thinking the same thing, let’s end this,” Alpha answered, hushing Hiro as he tried to get his attention again. Alpha pulled back to get to the outskirts of the ring of klaxosaurs and started speeding around them. The other Nines did the same, slowly moving inwards to force the klaxosaurs one central area, piling on top of each other. “Perfect,” Alpha said more to himself than anyone else and threw his spear through the mass of klaxosaurs, judging by the explosion of blue the other Nines had done the same. Once the rain cleared, he saw that no klaxosaurs remained, just the Nines coated in blood. Perhaps he was just being overly cautious after all.

“Well, there’s no point in going back so soon. We could spare here for a little?” Gamma asked.

Alpha nodded to himself in agreement, “I don’t see why not, might as well make this little trip worth-” Alpha didn’t get to finish his sentence, suddenly interrupted by a large screech- like two pieces of metal rubbing against each other. Under them, cracks formed in the ground and it crumbled, far faster than should be possible from an earthquake. Both surprised, their actions were delayed and Hiro had just gotten the franxx moving when the ground completely gave. He tried to engage their thrusters but they had already fallen a decent way when he did. Taking both of their efforts, they tried to maneuver and navigate through the Earth that was still falling down on the edges of the epicenter. They managed to gain a few meters before they became overwhelmed, unable to avoid a hefty slab of rock it caught the franxx. With that, their troubles just continued to mount and their escape became completely blocked off. Hiro’s mind began to glaze over, he didn’t understand why- perhaps it was the number of rocks beating down on his franxx, the feedback debilitating him. He continued to fight it, but it was pointless as darkness overcame him- from the tumbling Earth blocking out the sun or his own failing vision, he couldn’t tell.

So they fell, once more.

* * *

_When Hiro awoke, the first thing he noticed was that he wasn’t in a franxx anymore. It was dark, but his eyes immediately adjusted- another gift from the klaxosaur blood that now coursed through him. He was in a large carven. By how refined it looked it seemed man-made, but at the same time, he somehow knew that wasn’t quite right. The ground beneath him, cold- a metal of some kind. The walls of the carven were rock, but they had a sight glow to him, dulled, by still familiar. The color of klaxosaurs._

_When he stood up, he noticed the staircase in front of him. It was grand, to the extent that from his vantage point the top was concealed. The stairs were level, not jagged in any way, another sign that this was not a naturally occurring carven. Against all logic that should have told him to run away and find a way out, his entire being felt possessed to climb. He didn’t know why, but he felt as if he had to, wanted to. There was something above that called to him._

_As he climbed higher, about midway, he saw them. Two ginormous snakes, staring dead at him. They were twins, conjoined after a point. Their colors and size instantly told him that they were klaxosaurs, but their eyes were closer to that of a human's. There was intelligence there, a light brighter than that of just a beast’s. It should have terrified him to come in contact with two beings so clearly powerful, it should have chilled him to the bone. Yet, he was not afraid. He felt warm, despite the slight fog that danced around the floor. They wouldn’t hurt him._

_He stopped just short of the top, only a few stairs away, and gazed at the creature in front of him. She sat upon a throne that same color as she, black interlaced with that ever glowing blue. When he looked at the creature herself, her form was fuzzy like a mirage with only some parts of her being clear. He could see her hair, almost translucent blue, that pooled around her. Upon her head was what looked to be a black crown formed around her large singular horn, the same blue as his. Her skin was slightly dulled, but still the same klaxosaur blue. On her were black marking snaking up her legs and down her neck, he could not tell if they were natural or clothes. He could not quite make out her face, but it felt so familiar. Even with his vision not allowing him to fully see her, he knew she had an eldritch beauty to her._

_He stood there, taking her in. She waited, but she did not give the impression of impatience. She would give him all the time he needed. He felt that she had already waited a very long time for someone like him._

_He had so many questions, but he had to start somewhere. This place was so unfamiliar, but it felt as if he had been meant to come. “Where am I?” he asked, but he did not feel his lips move._

_“Nestled deep within the Earth, where it’s safe. No one will harm you here,” she responded as if she was in his mind, similar to how he would hear Zero-two while in Strelitzia. A lot about her reminded him of Zero-two, how enchanting and otherworldly she had been he had first laid eyes on her, yet at the same time, she was distinctly different._

_He realized suddenly that Alpha and the rest of the Nines were not with him, he knew without looking back that they would be nowhere to be found. It should have been concerning, along with the fact that none of the franxx were anywhere to be seen, but right now it seemed of little importance. As suddenly as the thought entered his mind, he dismissed it. It didn’t matter, all that mattered was the creature in front of him._

_This creature, he could feel her in his very core. She was proud and pure, more than just a klaxosaur. He felt her agelessness as if she had seen civilizations rise and fall, yet she continued to stand tall. He couldn’t fathom why she would allow him to stand before her. He had to know, or it would haunt him. So he asked, or rather thought, “What am I to you?”_

_“You and I are very similar. That is why I’ve called you and that is why you answered. That alone is proof.”_

_“Proof of what?”_

_“That you are compatible. These,” she gestured to the massive klaxosaur behind her, “are my brethren, and now, they are yours as well”_

_That he already knew, that his bond with Zero-two made him not entirely human anymore, maybe not human at all. That now, as he embraced and welcomed these changes, he grew closer to the klaxosaurs. Then, in turn, he was closer to her if what she said was true. He wanted to know her better, his mysterious woman, she was enchanting. His blood called to him, urging him to the creature before him.“May I ask your name?”_

_“Yes, but first, you must find yours?”_

_Find his name? But he knew who he was, he was Hiro._

_As she knew what he was thinking, which she likely did, she answered before Hiro could ask. “The language of humans no longer is fitting for your bloodline. You are one of us now, thus I will grant you a name. You shall henceforth be Mikipa.”_

_He didn’t particularly want another name, he was still Hiro. However, he was not annoyed or angry at all like he had been which Alpha had suggested a name. It didn’t feel right currently, but perhaps it wouldn’t always feel that way. He felt that she understood, she did not seem upset that he hadn’t accepted the name she gave him._

_“Do not fret, you may not be ready now, but soon you will be. For now, call yourself how you like, but do not forget that you are blood of our blood.”_

_Hiro nodded, feeling as if he understood what she meant. But now, she would keep her end of the promise. “And your name?”_

_“The one forced that was onto me or the one which I named myself?”_

_Forced onto her? Did that mean she might have a code? But codes, they didn’t matter. It had no indication of the person behind it. “The name that you feel is your own.”_

_For the first time since he saw her, she moved. When she stood up, it was as if she had glided. She moved with sureness to the edge of the stairs and held her hand out to him, an offering. Seeing her then, so close yet feeling as if she was so far, he felt as if he could just touch her he would be able to cut through the mirage and see her clearly. That he would be able to see her mind and she saw his. He climbed the remaining stairs even though it felt as if a great weight was forcing him down, he pushed through it. He held out his hand, reaching for her, and just as they were about to touch, she began to whisper, both with her mind and her voice, “I am...”_

_But as she began to speak, an oppressive fog rolled in along with a sound that he could not quite describe, hidden behind it a voice too muffed to make out the words. At that, she retracted her hand and he could sense her disappointment. “It seems our time is up. Come to me, and we will continue,” she said, speaking back only with her mind, as she turned away from him._

_“Come to you? But where are you?” Hiro called out, desperation leaking into his voice. He didn’t know how he would find her again, when he would see her again, and if that was even possible. He needed to know her name as if that single word would answer all his questions._

_She looked back at him over her shoulder, While the fog had gotten heavy, to the point where he could hardly make out her silhouette, he somehow could tell she was smiling softly. “You’ll find me. I know you will, my little prince”_

_The fog became all-inclusive, consuming his vision in the white mist. He tried to reach out, but she was already gone._

* * *

“Wake up, dammit, wake up,” the muffled voice yelled with an air of annoyance and a hint of panic. Hiro winced at the sound, a stark constant to the calm smoothness of the creature's voice. He didn’t remember closing his eyes, but when he blinked them open he was meant with confusion. Gone was the grand openness of the carven along with the creature and her klaxosaur.

The whole thing had been dreamlike, yet he knew it wasn’t simply a figment of his imagination. It was too clear in his memory to have been, every detail came to him with ease. Most of all, he remembered her voice, how fluid it had been in his mind- natural, even. While her image had been veiled, her voice and her words had been crisp. He could recall everything she had said...and that name, Mikipa. It felt odd on his tongue, otherworldly. When he thought about it, what they had been speaking had not been his mother tongue. How he understood her, let alone respond to her, was beyond him. 

“Come on, how much longer are you going to make me wait? We don’t have time for this,” Alpha snapped, yanking on one of Hiro’s arms rough enough to tear him from his thoughts. Even when it had to have been clear to him that Hiro was awake, he kept up his yanking. Hiro was going to reach back to slap him off, but that’s when he realized he was still in the pistil locks. Right, he was in a franxx- Alpha’s nine model- and he was...now underground, he supposed.

“Quit it, I’m up,” Hiro settled on saying, casting Alpha a glance over his shoulder. Surprisingly, Alpha looked disheveled and frantic, unlike he had ever seen him.

“Finally. I guess you really aren’t much more than human despite your looks if a little fall was all it took to make you lose consciousness. You really aren’t cut out to pistil, not being able to avoid falling in the first place,” Alpha said, condensing. It was completely contradictory, Alpha had gone from praising him to insulting him. Unfortunately, for the time being, they were partners. Alpha couldn’t place all the blame on him, considering handling is a stamen’s job. Also, Hiro was pretty sure the other Nines had fallen with them, making Alpha’s statement null.

“Weren’t you the one that said we don’t have time. Activate the franxx, already,” Hiro sighed. God, he really missed piloting with Zero-two. Even when frustrated, she never got obnoxious like this.

Alpha just tssed, not addressing that Hiro wasn’t wrong. Without warning, Alpha grabbed the handles and initiated connecting. Alpha was not gentler this time, perhaps even harsher in his hast, but Hiro knew what to expect this time. He was able to bring Alpha to him without sharing any of their memories, much to Hiro’s relieve. Within seconds, their connection became solid. Their numbers were lower, both irritated and neither willing to try to understand each other, but high enough to activate the franxx.

Once online, he saw that they were indeed underground. The other Nines were with them, two of their franxx helping dig one out from underneath dirt and larger pieces of rock that had fallen down with them. The parts of the floor that was exposed looked to be made out of metal. The room they had fallen into was large, about the size of a hanger and with the same high ceilings characteristic of one. The ceiling itself seems to be composed of many different ports, one of which directly above them. It was closed now, but it didn’t take a stretch of the imagination to assume it had somehow opened, letting them unwillingly, then closed. In what he could only describe as docks there were large vessels, shaped unlike any man-made object he had ever seen. But by context clues, they had to be aircraft of some sort. Scattered around the hanger were many exits, some only a few meters in height and others plenty large enough to fit a franxx. The floors were a dull grey, but the walls were black interspersed with neon blue. Whatever was in the docks shared the same colors. However, from what he could see of tunnels, they were made out of the same metal as the floor- making them dark. For some reason, one of the tunnels caught his attention. It was one large enough for a franxx, but there were many others like that as well. But, if he strained his ears, he could almost hear the echo of a song from it. It was so soft, barely there, that he could have been imagining it. But nevertheless, it fascinated him.

The whole situation was reminiscent of what he had seen before, in his dream- vision?- yet he couldn’t be more confused. If this structure, and the one before, was not of man and not of klaxosaurs, yet related to them somehow, who had made them? Perhaps someone like the creature he had seen? But, he had no idea of what she had been, assuming she had been real. His only clue was the klaxosaurs, and while she didn’t directly say so he had a gut feeling she wasn’t a klaxosaur. Maybe Zero-two would know more. She had more experiences with klaxosaurs than he did, so perhaps she had encountered something like this before.

“What is this place? An abandoned facility?” Alpha asked in a low voice, cautious.

“Maybe a relict of humanity’s attempts for shelter before the plantations came about?” Beta answered with a question. As it turned out, his franxx was the one that had been buried.

“They did look to the Earth for fuel, who’s to say they didn’t look to the same place for protection? It seems possible,” Delta said casually, having already shaken off the shock of their fall.

“Either way, it doesn’t matter,” Alpha sighed, “if it was important Papa would have informed us. What’s important now is finding a way out.”

“Why not just the way we came in?” Beta suggested.

“From the looks of it, the seal seems tight. I’m not sure our spears could pierce it, and expending all our magma energy would leave us vulnerable,” Gamma spoke up.

“Let’s look for a control panel then. It had to be a malfunction of that port to open, but since it did it that means this place still has power. We’ll stay in our franxx for now, and only explore on foot if need be,” Alpha decided, his voice back to its normal confidence.

“Roger,” all the Nines respond in unison, or rather the one of the Nines from each franxx. Hiro was seriously considering if the others were mute.

They all fanned out, seeing no reason to waste time by searching together. Even after taking a significant fall, all the franxx seemed to be in good condition with only cosmetic scratches and dents. Alpha took them up to one of the dock platforms, where there looked to be machinery. As Alpha was attempting to pry off a piece of glass that covered controls of some kind, Hiro’s eyes strayed elsewhere. The walls, something was off about them. He was on edge, more just curious. As he watched them, he noticed the slight fluctuation in the blue channels, shifting from bright to dull. As he paid closer attention, he realized the walls were textured in the form of large bumps. Then finally, he saw that the bumps were shifting ever so slightly- the walls were alive. Or rather, they were covered in living things, what had to be hundreds of dormant klaxosaurs.

As Alpha was continuing his attempts to separate the glass, the franxx froze up due to Hiro’s lack of attention on the task at hand. Alpha was about to spit venom at him, his irritation peaking, until his eyes followed the focus of the franxx sensors. Then, he saw it. The movement, the colors, it could only mean one thing.

When Alpha alerted the other Nines of his discovery, all hell broke loose.

As the Nines moved, Hiro tried to call out, tell them not to attack, but they simply ignored him as if he hadn’t spoken. It was natural for them after years and years of fighting- if they saw klaxosaurs, they were to kill them and eliminate the threat. Simple as that. Alpha made the first strike, piercing his spear deep into a passive klaxosaur, causing it to screech out as its core was destroyed. After that, the walls were passive no longer. Hearing the call of its brethren, the klaxosaur flooded down upon them in massive waves. They were just defending themselves, they wouldn’t have attacked if they hadn’t first. Hiro couldn’t bring himself to blame them, this could have been avoided so easily. 

There were so many of them, even as Alpha cut through them easily they were endless. He began to get rough and rough with the controls, trying to twist and maneuver the franxx for the most kills. His skills were very impressive, but he had forgotten the most important thing about piloting- that he was a partner. He was demanding too much, his commands were overwhelming Hiro. He tried his best to keep up, but with the load put on him, he simply could not. When Alpha suddenly tried to switch direction after moving forward at full speed, the franxx froze up for a moment before obeying. It created such a small opening, but luck wasn’t on their side. A klaxosaur pounced on Hiro from behind, attaching itself by wrapping its many legs around him. Its pincers wrapped around the franxx neck and clasped together harshly. Hiro gasped, all the air being sucked out of his lungs. He tried to breathe but he could not. The klaxosaur tightened its grip around the franxx’s neck, starting to crush and peel away the metal to reveal the wires within. Hiro’s consciousness was fading, his vision being overtaken by black and the franxx weakening with him. At the last second, just before the life-sustaining wires would be piercing, Alpha was able to shake the klaxosaur off and the franxx fell forward.

As his senses came back to him, the first thing he noticed was the pants and screams of the other Nines. That was enough terrifying enough, but how the voices started to die off was what made him sick, dread sitting heavy within him. Hiro didn’t get the luxury of resting, immediately both Alpha and himself had to sync back up to attempt to keep the klaxosaurs at bay. They couldn’t keep this up, they had to make their escape. Glancing around, the sight was horrifying. One of the franxx was bisected with one of its arms pulled off and it's head, covered in cracks, was in the klaxosaur’s clutches only seconds away from bursting. The other was limp, its head nowhere in sight and its body simply resting on top of the rush of klaxosaurs. The final was holding up the best, but had a pretty serious head injury through one of the eyes, seemingly having been completely pierced through.

Through their connection, he could feel Alpha’s anger and bloodlust- he wanted to and was willing to kill every last klaxosaur not caring or considering if they died in the process. There would be no time to convince him, it would be too late by then. With all this might, he took Alpha by surprise and overpowered him. The thrusters on his wing pieces had been severely damaged so he had to rely on the auxiliary ones to get him to the port next to them, where the franxx that was holding up the best was. The others were too far away, he knew he couldn’t make it to them before being torn to pieces. They were already goners even if he went to help, but it didn’t settle the disgust he had with himself for abandoning them. Pulling the other franxx, by the screams within it was Delta’s, he began his escape. He knew this decision would haunt him to his death, but it was a necessary evil if he wanted to get any of them out of there alive.

“What are you doing?!? Stop!!! We can fight!!! We have to fight!!!” Alpha shrieked, shrill and frenzied.

“We have to go,” Hiro said softly, almost a whisper. He was trying to convince himself this was true. They had to go, or they all would die. They had to go, only the four of them could make it. They had to go, even if it puts their blood on his hands.

Alpha and Delta continued their screaming, Alpha actively fighting Hiro, but within seconds Delta’s franxx when limb. It pulled him down for a moment but he quickly adjusted to carrying the franxx’s full weight which allowed them to move faster than when Delta was fighting him. For a split second, Delta was quiet, before she let out a wordless scream, full of pain and despair, before the comms cut off. Hiro’s stomach dropped, he hoped he prayed that it didn’t mean what he thought it meant.

At Delta’s scream, Alpha stopped his struggled as sucked in a breath. All the comm lines were cut off, there were no battle cries or screams for help. There was silence. And for the first time in his life, Alpha felt alone, and it terrified him.

Alpha was barely providing any pulse as Hiro dragged him into a corridor, the same once that had called to him. With the last of his strength, he engaged all the remaining thrusters, sending them as far down the hallway as he could. Alpha’s pulse had completely dropped off, and as much as he hated himself for it, he didn’t have the strength for a rampage. His franxx sensors cut off as he disconnected himself from the franxx and they skidded to a stop. His pistil locks disengaged and he sagged forward, yet remained in them as he panted trying to catch his breath. His body ached, his soul ached, but he was alive- and Alpha was too. At the very least, he had managed to get Alpha out alive. He couldn’t say for sure if he had for Delta and Epsilon, who’s silence chilled him to the bone.

From how the franxx remained still, the klaxosaurs had not followed them and had stayed in the hanger. They must have really been just defending themselves. For that, he was thankful for. 

As soon as he could manage, Hiro shakily stood up and turned back to Alpha. He was slumped forward, his bangs concealing his eyes. He felt sympathy for Alpha, but he couldn’t do anything to help at the moment. He was struggling to stay conscious and he had to prioritize. Reaching next to Alpha, he opened a compartment that was installed on all franxx. A distress signal. Their connection to Hachi and Nana had fizzled out after they had fallen, the distance either too far or the material of the ceiling too thick, but the distress signal was supposed to be stronger- he hoped it was. As it stood, there was no way would be able to make it out of here on their own with their franxx damaged severely and their magma energy nearly expended. With that vital task complete, he collapsed on top of Alpha and attempted to not completely lose consciousness as they were still in the thick of it.

Alpha didn’t feel Hiro on him at all, his body felt completely numb. His emotions were racing, but his mind was still. He had only one thought, that he was alone. For the first time, Alpha cried- of rage, of sorrow, of regret, of hate. At the moment, Hiro understood him, yet he couldn’t shed a tear. It wasn’t Alpha who abandoned the rest, it was him. He would have to carry that weight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So finally manga elements are introduced! And these will not be the last of such. The reason I killed off most of the Nines is that I want to be able to give all named characters that show up in multiple chapters at least some development, and trying to do that for a whole squad in addition to squad 13 just wouldn't work. The reasons I choose the Nines was not just out of manga influence, I also did because of preexisting development and that I need an extra stamen, besides Zeta, for later and Delta happens to be the most interesting of them. Also, unimportant but Alpha trying to call Hiro Kappa was half out of testing the waters and a half because he wanted to try giving nicknames, although he would never admit it.
> 
> The first [indirect] encounter with the klaxosaur princess! She will actually have a name and will differ pretty significantly from the anime and manga. To explain her first interaction with Hiro, she wants him to come somewhat willingly- she wants to avoid "stealing" him if possible and this is not just out of goodwill, there's a reason that will come into play later why she mades this choice. I'm unsure if this came across clearly in the chapter, but she was the cause of the Conrad klaxosaur herd's actions. It was a way for her to lure out Hiro, the Nines were just taken along for the ride, to an area where she could somewhat safely abduct him without coming to the surface herself or by compromising her protection. If Hiro hadn't come out, she wouldn't have opened the port. How she knew of Hiro's existence will be explored soon, as well as her vast knowledge of other workings of the world above.
> 
> For the klaxo sapiens, I chose Greek to be their language because of the Nines. Warning, I do not speak Greek so there is going to be a big learning curve on implementing this. The name she gave Hiro is a combination of, at least what I hope to be, the words "little" and "prince".
> 
> To explain the need for housekeeping, this is the first larger multi-chapter fic I have attempted, meaning that I was going in blind at first. After writing a few chapters, I feel I have somewhat of a better grasp of the language I need to convey the message I want. That being said, nothing major enough will be changed that you would have to reread the previous chapter if you do not want to. My focus beyond what I already specified will be on transitions between scenes and general sentence flow for now. Eventually, I think I will go back an attempt, empathsis on attempt, to even out the chapter lengths especially since compared to the rest this one and the last differ too much in length for my liking.


	10. Split Jian: Crow's call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Determined, Zero-two and the rest of Squad 13 go to confront Nana about the secrecy involving Hiro. While Nana does partially disclose the situation at hand, she does not have the chance to give further details.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> to the surprise of everyone I'm not dead and neither is this fic. Check the end notes for more details about the current and future updates.

A breeze, still cool from the night, greeted her as Zero-two pushed open glass panes of her window. Dawn had come and gone, leaving only the corners of the crystal sky stained with warm hues. Amidst it was specs of colors, blossoms elaborately dancing in the gentle wind. It was like being inside of a work of art, yet she could not call it perfect. No matter how lovely scenery, the missing centerpiece left the painting incomplete.

She placed her hands to support her on the edge of the window and brought herself into a lean so her head was fully outside of the window. The breeze lightly ruffled her hair, working out the loose knots that had formed overnight while her scarf trailed behind her. Breathing in deeply, she took in the scent of the wind sweetened by the blossoms it carried. She wanted so badly to take flight, ride the winds and enjoy what the skies could offer her. But alas, not today, she was still tied to the ground lacking her shared wing. But she couldn’t help but entertain the thought, imagining if she could let the wind carry her out of this birdcage to her Darling and then they could dance in the skies, twirling careless and free as blossoms she was watching. She reached out as far as she could until she was just barely able to balance herself as if she could touch the painted sky. She closed her fist and brought it to her chest. This small piece of the sky would be hers, she would hold it in her heart and remember it until, together hand in hand, they would be able to break the cage and rejoin it with the endless blue above.

She closed her eyes and sighed, pulling herself back into the room. Just a little longer, she told herself, just hold on for a little longer. Without opening her eyes, she slid to her knees and brought her other hand to cover her fist that held her piece of the sky, then tilted her head upwards slightly, enough so if her eyes were open she would be looking out into the small sky framed by the window, allowing the breeze ghost over her face. She was mimicking the position she had seen many times but never taken, she had never felt the urge to take. Religion had always been presented as nothing more than proof of the ignorant nature of the masses and as another reason as to how Papa delivered them into a better world, but Zero-two never quite believed that. Regardless of the truth or lack of it, she found a strange beauty in it. She knew the power that stories had, the jian had been her lifeline for so long, and the many different texts that people of the past had followed were stories in their own way. The way that certain humans used to pray to their god, their devotion and faith in their beliefs through everything, she admired them for it. She didn’t, couldn’t, believe in any sort of deity after all the torture she had been through and all the pain she had infected on others, but she stilled admired them for how they could continue to pray throughout their world crumbling apart, to have that strength of will.

So with all the uncertainty of what was to come, she prayed in her own way. Rather than look to godly figures or an unseen power, she looked inside herself. She asked herself to stay steady, for her determination and faith to stay sure. To continue to believe in the jian’s story as she had for all these years and moreover to make it true. For two hearts to beat as one, for two bodies to come together as a vessel for a single soul. She asked herself to never stray from that heartbeat no matter how far she was from her other half. With that heartbeat, she would always be connected to him and they would always find their way back to each other. She asked herself to have faith in herself and him. She could feel that times were changing, yet she was determined to not let this truth she held so dear to be shaken. She wouldn’t allow it. With that, she opened her eyes and the sky greeted her once again. Instead of longing, the sight brought reassurance. No matter how far apart they were, they still looked up at the same sky. 

A short knock brought Zero-two out of her thoughts. She hadn’t realized how much time had passed already. Earlier in the morning when Ichigo had come to get her for breakfast, after all, she did have a reputation for oversleeping at this point, she had told her that she needed some time to think before they confronted Nana and to come get her after breakfast. Ichigo seemed to understand and, thankfully, didn’t ask any questions. Zero-two wouldn’t have known how to answer if she did because she didn’t know at the time what she needed to think about. But now, she felt like her head was clear and she was able to see a path straight ahead. 

When she got up and turned to leave, she uncurled her hands. From her fist, a sakura blossom fell to the ground. Its delicate edges where wrinkled slightly, but it did not take away from its beauty.

* * *

Just like the pistils had said, all of the stamens had come as well. They must have broken the idea to them over breakfast since by the time Ichigo had led her downstairs they had all been waiting in the lobby for them. None of the parasites looked like they were being dragged along, reminding her of how much they all cared about her Darling. Futoshi had surprised her, giving her a small parcel while they had walked with a smile. Unfolding the paper, she found that he had gathered her a few buns and a slice of meat, all coated with honey. It was a small jester, but it was more than that- a reminder that they cared for her as well. Despite not being as close to him as Ichigo or Goro, he had still thought of her. She had ended up offering half of it back to him, and they ate as they walked to the transports. Food really did taste better when shared.

Once again, her S-class ID came in handy, making getting out of the birdcage easy. Many of the transports had sustained some damage and a few were unusable, but she managed to remember which exit she had taken to get back their last ride in Strelitzia and was able to backtrack. With her clearance, she was able to not only start the transport but also control its destination. Usually, the transports run on a closed circuit loop, meaning that they normally only move in one direction so that they should have been forced to take the one they usually used to get out of the birdcage- which would have forced them to navigate far too many corridors to go unnoticed for long enough. But with her clearance, she overrode this process and sent them on their way straight towards the docks. So for the time being, they had escaped through the mesh of Nana’s and Hachi’s net.

Once on their way, Zero-two let their quiet conversations fade to the background as her mind wandered back to their situation. Without words, she had been able to tell that all of them wanted her Darling back and she could guess they were also unsettled at how he had been suddenly taken away. While technically it was temporary, she still was concerned. It had been too long- they had to be holding him for some reason. As much as she hated to admit it, the Nines were skilled and no matter what drill or mission they had been assigned, they should have been back far before nightfall. Yet, now morning had come and command had made no attempts to contact them, Ichigo hadn’t even received the routine daily message this morning instruction the squad of their duties for the day. Nothing about the situation sat right with her.

She was pulled out of being consumed by her worried when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She blinked and looked around, seeing the other parasites shuffle out of the exit. She hadn’t realized the transport had stopped. Glancing to the side, she saw that Goro was the only holding her shoulder to get her attention with Ichigo beside him. He was frowning, searching her eyes. He looked like he had a thousand things he wanted to say and a million reasons why, yet couldn’t find a way as to say any of them. Glancing to the side, she saw Ichigo with her eyes full of concern- however, she was able to find her words, “Are you okay, Zero-two? I know you’re worried, but we’ll find out what's going on soon and have Hiro back with us again.”

Zero-two nodded. “The sooner the better,” she said briefly, sparing Ichigo from the true extent of her worries. Goro’s gaze was unyielding as if he was urging her to say more as if he knew they shared the same extent of concerns. It made sense, in a way, that Goro would be the one that did if anyone. Ichigo cared deeply for Hiro, but she was their leader and had the rest of their squad to take care of. But Goro, while considered second in command, could allow his thoughts to settle solely on her Darling. 

Ichigo took the initiative and broke the silence between them.“I completely agree,” Ichigo said as she tugged on Goro’s other hand. “Let’s catch up to the others.” Goro’s eyes lingered on Zero-two for a moment longer, then obliged and let Ichigo lead him off the transport. Zero-two sighed and let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding. Goro’s gaze had affected her more than she wanted to admit, it had made her want to spill all her thoughts despite how time-sensitive their goal was. She closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath, trying to regain her focus, before following the two of them.

Zero-two’s pace quickened to take the point of their charge, seeing she knew the layout of the plantation of best out of them. She almost mindlessly led the way as her attention was elsewhere- the adults. None of the adult workers seemed to notice them as they moved throughout the halls, they were all too focused on their work or rushing around. It would have been different if they had been more unique adults like Nana, but they were just normal adults- calling them mindless drones would be a compliment in most cases. To see them so worked up made her stomach drop, something was wrong. The thought of Hiro simply being detained when out the windows and was replaced by panic and fear. She tried to not let it show, but Goro must have picked up the tension in her posture because he briefly sped up so he could mean her eyes when she glanced to the side. When he met her eyes, he looked for a second like he would speak but instead opted for nodded ever so slightly and turning back ahead and falling in place behind her. He understood in an instant that exposing her panic would cause the other parasites to lose the determination they had to see this through. She silently thanked him for his ability to pick up and understand information so quickly and tried to calm herself down. Panicking would not solve anything, she had to continue forward, straight ahead. She couldn’t help, however, that she picked up the pace slightly in her anxiety.

Rounding a corner quickly and with a little more force than strictly necessary, Zero-two was rewarded with collided with someone. Given her strength, she was left more annoyed than anything else while the other woman was left worse for the wear, knocked to the ground. She clenched her jaw slight, frustrated at even the slightest delay. She began to push by the mess before that telltale long auburn hair out of the corner of her eyes that stopped her dead in her tracts, pivoting back to face their caretaker. Nana had fallen backwards onto the ground, scattering the contents of her hands- a datapad and what was a stack of printed papers. Nana immediately scrambled to snatch up her datapad and hugged it to her chest to hide it then afterward collected the papers, still with the same frantic energy. Zero-two hadn’t been able to make out what was on the screen due to Nana’s hast, but she had recognized the papers. They were the Nines’ records, she had seen them enough times in the past to recognize them at a glance.

“Pardon me! I shouldn’t have been rushing, it's just in the chaos…” Nana trailed off, breaking her frenzied tone when she looked up to see Zero-two. Her brows knitted in confusion before a frown settled on her face. She clearly hadn’t been expecting them, despite that as their caretaker she would have gotten the notification that a transport from the birdcage had been used. And while her S-class ID had allowed them to get here, it also would have immediately identified her as the one to activate it so Nana should have been expecting at least her in some way. 

Zero-two silently stared at Nana while she tried to make sense of everything being so disorderly. After a few seconds Ichigo seemed to realize that Zero-two wasn’t going to respond in any fashion fast enough to relieve the situation and stepped forward to take the helm, “Um, we’re here to ask about Hiro! ...If you would be so kind as to tell us where he is.”.

“Oh, so you heard,” Nana said flatly, too flatly, as she stood up. With a sigh, she ran her hands through her hair, uncharacteristically messy. She switched her focus down to her datapad, seemingly shuffling through information, possibly to show them.

However, Nana’s words and tone struck ice into Zero-two’s veins. “Heard what?” she snapped, irritation hiding her desperation. With how dejected Nana had sounded, it made her more fearful than such a simple phrase had any right to.

“Hm? What do you mean?” When Nana looked up and met Zero-two’s, she saw the look of a caged animal and quickly looked away. “Ah, so you don’t know. Well, you are here, so the cat is somewhat already out of the bag.” She paused and looked between the parasites, having second thoughts but then steadied herself. “Walk with me, I’ll tell you on the way. But don’t think this means I’m excusing that you disobeyed our instructions.”

Nana sharply turned around and began to bristly walk, yet Zero-two couldn’t shake the feeling that Nana hadn’t wanted to meet her gaze. Ichigo took her hand and gave her a reassuring squeeze. She got the meaning- for now they would have to play along with Nana to get what they wanted. With the two of them in the lead, the rest of the parasites joined in following Nana in the direction of the docks.

“There has been an incident,” Nana spoke in a completely different tone, any softness had shifted into cold indifference as if she was reporting to a superior. A mask for her feelings- while she could be harsh at times and abide by Papa’s and APE’s conditions, she did seem to genuinely care for her parasites. “Command has lost contact with all of the nine models. There was a confirmed terrain shift in the last known contact region, which is suspected to be the cause or the effect of said incident. All attempts to reconnect with the units have been met with radio silence, however, we have received confirmation of one distress beacon.”

“Do you know which franxx sent the beacon?” Ichigo asked, her voice shirl with anxiety. Her grip on Zero-two’s hand had gone so tight her knuckles were white. Meanwhile, Zero-two’s hand was limp. Her mind was reeling, unable to comprehend that her worst fears had been confirmed. There was so much anger- at Nines for falling victim to a seemingly avoidable threat, and even if there had been other variables they were supposed to be the elite. At Nana for not reporting when the situation first became critical. At APE for putting in motion Alpha’s capture and toying of her Darling. But overshadowing it all was a great fear, simple yet powerful, for her Darling.

“No, the beacons are identical,” Nana sighed. “It could just be that the Nines decided there was no need to send out more than one signal. We just don’t know at this point. It's a...difficult predicament. The Nines are essential to Papa’s plans, but we still have limited resources with excessive damage to not only our plantation but many others as well. Sending out franxx transports and a retrieval team into potential danger, we just can’t risk losing more equipment and personnel.”

“What are you saying?” Zero-two snapped, surging forward and grabbing Nana’s shoulder, whipping her around and forcing the woman to face her head-on. Ichigo stumbled forward with the motion and let out a yelp, still holding her hand. Nana, to her defense, managed to keep a straight face during it all, but the bags under her eyes and her furrowed brow betrayed her. “You’re the ones you sent my Darling out there, you can’t do nothing!” Zero-two snarled, her eyes shifting to a burning crimson, full of malice with the sudden spike in rage.

“You’re overstepping your boundaries, “ Nana declared, standing her ground. She stared down her counterpart for a moment, before sighing- her posture slouching slightly to reflect her exhaustion. “We aren’t going to do nothing. The Nines are too valuable to risk losing, but again, we have limited resources. So we are going to send a single franxx from your squad out.”

“Wait,” Ichigo interjected, “how will a single franxx help if whatever is out there the Nines couldn’t handle themselves.”

“It’s not to retrieve them, it's a scout,” Goro spoke up before Nana, his calm voice surprising the three of them. In his silence, they had forgotten he was there, yet he had followed the conversation closely trying to extract all the implication Nana had laid down. “Compared to the Nines, our squad is replaceable- disposable, even. But as it stands we are the only ones that can protect the plantation, so our squad has become valuable since with the limited resources replacing our franxx is not possible. So you’ll send one franxx, not the whole squad, but even a full squad of franxx would struggle to bring back the Nines’ damaged franxx let alone one franxx. So the chosen franxx is a scout to find out if and where the transport teams can land. Isn’t that right, Nana?”

Everyone was taken aback by Goro’s calm deduction, Nana in particular. But within seconds she came back to herself. “Yes, that is the plan. Delphinium has already been prepared, I had assumed you must have been relayed the plan since you had come down here., but even though that isn’t the case it seems a debriefing isn’t needed. Wonderful, we’ll be able to put the whole thing behind us sooner”

“Delphinium?” Zero-two whispered to herself. “Wait, no! It's my Darling out there, I’ll go.”

“No, I’m afraid that’s not possible,” Nana responded, surprisingly with more sympathy than expected. “As you said, Hiro isn’t here right now. In stampede mode, both your actions and communication is unreadable- both necessary for this operation. Delphinium is the best fit for the requirements.”

As Zero-two was about to fire back, Goro placed his hand on her shoulder again and gently tugged so she was facing him. “Zero-two, we’ll take care of Hiro. I promise, we’ll get him back,” Goro said lowly, deadly serious. His eyes were intense and truthful. His calm had been a mask before, for his anger and fear that mirrored hers. It was comforting, knowing that he felt the same. She had to trust him with her Darling, it was the fastest way to get him back. And with Ichigo at his said, there were no two people she trusted more to get the job done. She simply nodded in response, knowing their shared emotions were enough.

She turned back to Nana, no longer exactly upset at the woman but not happy with her either. “Alright, I’ll go along with this plan, on one condition: I want to wait at the docks for their return.” She glanced back at her squad, “We all want to, right?” A chorus of affirmatives followed, and Zero-two let a small smile escape.

Nana brought her free had to her face and sighed, weighing her options, with a huff she dropped her hands and brought it to her hip. “Fine, but you must stay out of the way.” Zero-two nodded, and she assumed the parasites behind her did the same. Nana shrugged and turned around. “Come along now, there’s no time to waste.”

They bristly walked down the reaming halls, nearly the docks. Passing through the last gateway, Nana halted so suddenly that Zero-two walked into her back. She was going to snap at her, but her eyes were soon drawn to the same scene that had transfixed Nana. There was a transported landing past the bay doors then near the center of the docks there stood a wall of men. On them were full-face black masks along with outfits vaguely reminisces of the stamen’s parasite suits partnered with close rage magma SMG. She had encountered such agents many different times- from in the form of armed escorts to enforcers- and was far more familiar with them that she would have liked. Compared to the other adults, they were much more prone to use of force, with her memory of the garden reminding her that they would even when unnecessary. The wall was curved into a semicircle and out in front of it was Hachi speaking with one of the agents that was in front, who must have been the task leader. From the angle they were at, she could see that someone was behind Hachi but couldn’t make out their faces. However, she could make out a sliver of gray hair- one of the triples. While she doubted Nana or her squad could, with her hearing she could make out what the agent was saying to Hachi, “...the direct decision of APE override the chain of command. Given the situation, it was determined that the extermination needed to take place sooner than the normal chain would allow for reorganization to begin in a timely manner. Confirmation of our orders will be relayed through the normal chain, so it will arrive later, but again waiting for such is not an option”

“I see,” Hachi said somewhat reluctantly. “Very well, carry on with the...extermination as you see fit,” Hachi continued as he stepped aside to reveal that it was indeed one of the triples behind him. She guessed it was Zeta, given that her Darling was unfortunately with Alpha.

The agents raised and fixed their guns on Zeta, the motion of switch seemed to snap Nana out of her trace. “WAIT!” she yelled, as she took off towards them, dropping the papers and the datapad in her haste. Zero-two tried to grab Nana before she went, knowing getting involved with that type of agent would lead to nothing but hardship. However, she hadn’t expected Nana to run so she reacted too slow to grasp her so she ran after her. In the back of her mind, she took note that she heard the rest of the parasites follow.

Nana pushed past the men and stopped in front of Zeta, blocking their aim. “What is the meaning of this?!?”

“Nana, stop. We have no authority over the situation,” Hachi warned as he moved up to place a hand on Nana’s shoulder, trying to draw her attention away from the now firing squad. 

“Nonsense!” she huffed as she shook Hachi’s hand off before focusing on the guard who had been speaking to Hachi previously. “We are in command of this plantation. You’re unauthorized, stop this hostility at once,” she ordered while gesturing at their weapons, using the same tone she wouldn’t when reprimanding them.

“Nana,” Hachi sighed, clearly becoming frustrated, “let them be, we don’t have any say in this.” Hachi paused for a moment, must have been weighing his option- he knew Nana far better than Zero-two did and she could tell she wasn’t going to give in easily, so he must have known too. “This is confidential, Squad 13 should not be here, please escort them back,” Hachi said, going the route of a distraction.

“That is hardly that biggest issue here! No one has explained-” Nana was interrupted by the feeling of the barrel of a gun being pressed against her back by the agent she had tried to order earlier.

“Move aside,” he said without a hint of inflection, his eyes hidden by the half mask all the agents worn leaving no indication of emotion. “You are not the target, but we will not hesitate to use force if you obstruct the extermination” he continued as he rammed Nana hard enough that she fell to the ground.

“Extermination,” Nana gasped, barely audible and visibly confused. Her eyes widened when the pieces clicked.“Wait!” she yelled, “You don’t mean to Zeta, do you?”

“Papa has decided without the whole, a signally is useless. Stay down,” the agent continued. “Code 008, do not get caught in the crossfire. Code 9’ζ, step forth”

Hachi backed away as Zeta walked forward towards the center of the semicircle. But before she made it, Nana lunged forward and grabbed Zeta’s leg and pulled her back, calling out desperately, “No! She’s just a child! That’s inhuman, and the other Nines could still be alive!-” Nana’s plead turning into a sharp scream as a bullet pierced her lower spine, the dark grey of her dress giving away to black as her blood spread. Her attempt to stop Zeta has been deemed enough by the agent to be considered an obstruction and he had taken aim and fired a round at her. Nana slumped over, her cry quieting to a whimper and gasping for breath through the pain. Hachi immediately rushed to kneel at Nana’s side with one hand wrapped around her middle to hold her and the other reaching down to put pressure on the wound, looking on with deep concern. On the other hand, Zeta looked on indifferently at the displace before turning away and letting Nana fall off of her. As Zeta began to walk forward Nana again tried to stop her, weakly reaching out and grasping her ankle and wheezing out, “...Don’t...don’t throw your life away...please… not another...not when you can be saved…”

Zeta’s expression, or lack of, contoured into pure disgust in such a way that Zero-two had never seen from her before. “Papa’s word is absolute. His will is my will,” Zeta declared in a quiet voice, yet it was firm and certain. That action took Zero-two back, none of the triplets had ever spoken before, she had assumed that they were mute. Zeta kicked Nana off, far more forceful than necessary and turned to face the firing squad. The agent that had shot Nana shifted back into the formation and took aim. The first bullet pierced her right between the eyes a second before the rest ripped through her body- forcing her limp body to ragdoll in a morbid dance before falling to the floor in a pile of her blood and bits of her ripped off flesh. 

The agents turned to leave, leaving the corpse as if it was nothing more than litter. However, the ringleader reached down and grabbed Nana by the arm, dragging her from Hachi and forcing her up. She didn’t stand, rather she hung from the agents grasp. Her breath was shallow, barely there. Her face was deathly pale and her glassy eyes had a thousand-yard stare with tears staining her cheeks. The agent tilted his head down to head to face Hachi, who’s hand was coated in Nana’s blood and looked to be in shook. “Make sure to clean up the mess,” the agent said as if he was reporting nothing more than everyday business. “We’ll be taking this one with us for reeducation to see if there’s still use for her.” He jostled Nana as if to get her attention, but she was barely conscious, “Count yourself lucky, with the shortages you’ll get a shot at a second chance.” 

He turned back to Hachi and continued, “In the meantime, by the authority invested by Papa, you will take on the role as the caretaker of this plantation's squad. And please do make them better behaved, it's unsightly to have parasites roam free,” he said with a hint of disgust while gesturing to them before joining the others, dragging Nana along to the transport they must have arrived in. Nana choked out a cry from the movement.

When the ram of the transport retracted and the entrance closed, all was silent. No one moved, no one thought, no one been breathed. They couldn’t comprehend what had just transpired. With the exception of Zero-two, none of the parasites there had seen the death of another in person, let alone such a gorgeous one. Zero-two had no idea how much time had passed when Hachi finally pulled his gaze away from his blood-soaked hand and stood to face them. He looked at them as if he had forgotten they were there before seeming to almost startle and nearly yelled, “All of you, leave!”

“But, Nana said that Delphinium…” Goro said shakily, trailing off and he caught Zeta in his eyes.

An indescribable look transpired on Hachi faced as he processed what was said. He shook his head slightly and continued, “Right, Code 15 and 056, report to your franxx. Now the rest of you, return to Mistilteinn.”

The command snapped the parasites out of their shook and Miku screamed and Zorome stumbled back from the scene with a hand over his mouth. Ichigo’s breath increased close to a panic and pressed into Zero-two’s side, Goro's hands shook and reached up to adjusted his glasses to hide his eyes. Kokoro turned into Mitsuru and cried while he grabbed her and hid his face in her hair. Ikuno sucked in a breath and brought her hands to her head while Futoshi fell to his knees. Zero-two just stared at Zeta’s blank eyes, the sight of her death didn’t shake her as much as her words had. She had never heard such devotion from anyone, even Alpha, to Papa that they would walk knowingly to their death. Those words echoed in her head damping everything else out.

“That’s an order, return to Mistilteinn. You’ll be disciplined if you disobey!” Hachi actually yelled. 

Zero-two shook herself out of her mind and turned to her squad. “Come on,” she whispered as she began to usher Miku back, “we have to go.” Miku turned to Zero-two, clearly in shook but taking the message and started to move, grabbing Zorome hand and pulling him along.

“Leave please,” Ichigo urged, reaching out to Ikuno. She was just as shaken as the rest of them but desperately trying to maintain a strong image for their sake., “I..I don’t know anymore what they’ll do to us, please we have to listen.” Ichigo’s voice seemed to reach her and she nodded, helping Futoshi up and starting on their way back. 

Mitsuru pulled back from Kokoro and took his face in her hand, “Come on now, let’s go home.” She held onto him as if for dear life as he walked her in the direction of the gateway.

Zero-two spared a glance back for Ichigo and Goro, hoping they would be okay. Staying would just make things worse for them, and besides her Squad needed her now. She led the way back as she was about to go through the gateway leading away from the docks she stopped and turned around, walking back and grabbing Nana’s datapad. She knew what was on the papers, but on the other hand, Nana hadn’t wanted her to see what was on this. Zero-two couldn’t say if it would lead to anything, but there was a chance she could get the answers they had come for.

The wall back to the transport was silent besides sniffles and a few soft cries. Tension and questions hung in the air, yet no one seemed willing to ask them, or better yet no one knew how to ask them. Zero-two couldn’t get one question out of her mind, why would Papa kill one of his precious toys? While Squad 13 had been specially ordered by Doctor Franxx, the Nines had been the same from Papa. Thinking back on what the agent said gave her a clue to the answer that she wished she didn’t have. To kill one of the pair, it meant he didn’t expect all of them to come back, or at least he didn’t expect Alpha to come back. And if Alpha wasn’t expected to come back, then her Darling...

She shook the thought out of her mind. Ichigo and Goro would find him, she was sure of it, she needed to be sure of it. She steeled her and continued forward and lead the rest of the squad back onto the transport and let it take its natural route back to the birdcage. She tried to keep her mind empty as walked back to the boardinghouse, the beautiful day forgotten. As soon as they arrived, she stole herself up into her room. She felt as if she should have stayed with her friends, try to comfort them and help them but she just couldn’t. She mindlessly tossed the datapad of the windowsill as she threw herself onto their bed, burying herself in the pillow taking in the scent and allowing herself to imagine that her Darling was there. But the image didn’t last and all she was left with was the bitter reminder that they were apart. Zero-two pulled herself up, wanting respite from her thoughts and looked out the window. Despite all that had happened, it looked as if very little time had passed. The day had chased away dawn and the wind had let up, robbing the sky of its colors with the exception of its vast blue. Its picturesque seemed to mock her. 

With a sigh, she pulled her eyes away, she felt she should be irritated at the constant bittersweetness of it all but she was left just tired. However, her thoughts became focused once more as her eyes lied on the data she had earlier discarded. She reached over and pulled it to her lap, counting herself lucky that Nana hadn’t thought to lock it. A report was already pulled up, a quick glance through it told it was the report that Nana had sent to Papa about the Nines along with the transcript of the transmission between the Nines and command during their mission. There were more details, but nothing of much interest. Moving past it, she found something that did catch her eyes. There was a message from Doctor Franxx, but it was the last few lines that interested her:

“...In lieu of building a new model from the ground up, I have made modifications to the original prototype franxx. The franxx outfitted for Code 016 is Salvia, a smaller variant of the Salvia Guaranitica. The hypothesized effect of Salvia on Code 016 will be a more pronounced version of Strelitzia’s, given her origin. However, take note that Salvia has a deeper resonance than Strelitzia, so unseen effects might take seed. I will observe the first attempt at connection in person, but it is unlikely that APE will allow me to remain and I'll be called in to report to them. In my absence, continue to monitor Code 016 in detail and report weekly unless I make a request intermittently."

Underneath were two attachments, the first labeled "Project 001: Salvia Guaranitica" and "Project 016: Salvia". She opened both, she hoped to uncover a clue to what he had in plan for her Darling and to what the Doctor was alluding to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I must apologize for the wait. I am truly passionate about this story and I don’t have to half ass it- I never have and I intend to keep it that way- which did lead to a lot of conflict finishing this chapter when some personal crises came about. I was able to write for some smaller projects, but my attempts at finishing this chapter turned out lackluster. I'm not entirely happy with this chapter as is. However, most of what was troubling me have been resolved so I'll be about to focus heavily on Rampage again.
> 
> Given the tile, I assume you were able to tell that again, this is the first half of a chapter split in two. This time it was not length but solely content that influences my decision to do so. But with the group coming back together in the next this will be the last chapter like this at least for the next batch of chapters I have drafted. I am returning to the schedule of a chapter about every two weeks, with the exception of the next chapter coming sooner because it is mostly done.
> 
> I am truly grateful for all of you that have waited for this update yet did return to read it. I plan to do better by you all in future, partially but having more detailed outlines of the chapters in advance so that if something does arise I can still stay on schedule.


	11. Split Jian: Noose of the Albatross

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hiro and the remaining Nines must carry the weight of their actions brave the underground to find what they desire. However, when there desires do not agree , they clash.

The first thing Hiro became aware of the rawness of his throat. Each inhale felt like a struggle as if a great pressure was constricting his windpipe partnered with the fact the once he managed a breath it felt like he was trying to swallow sand. Despite his consciousness being barely there, his survival instincts kicked in. He turned his head to the side to try to breathe more freely, which provided a slight relief but the pressure was still there. Yet a slight panic was starting to set in, the corner of vision blurring further so he attempted to dart up and snatch whatever was around his neck- which for some reason his mind provided was hands. However, he ended up just shakily reaching up and weakly grasping at his neck. To his surprise, all he felt was the material of his parasite suit and nothing more.

His mind was muddled and filled with confusion- struggling to recall where this pain must have come from or where he was or what he was doing. Despite his body crying out in pain, he gripped the first solid thing he felt and used his arms to lift himself up. To his surprise, he found that someone was under him- Alpha. After a moment of confusion as to why he was, the events of the day came flooding back to him. His head was already pounding when he woke up, but the pain seemed to redouble when he realized how bad of a situation they were in- and how it seemed like he would have to be the one to figure a way out. He let out a groan of frustration.

Alpha was completely unresponsive, the only sign he was alive was the shallow rise and fall of his chest. He was devastated, that much was clear. It was a given, considering that his squad had been all but annihilated and Hiro could guess that the Nine rarely even lost a battle in the past. At the time he hadn’t been paying attention, but he could recall the sense of emptiness that bled into him from Alpha. What exactly he felt now, Hiro never he couldn’t possibly begin to understand the extent of pain, shock, guilt, and most of all fear Alpha felt. But now was no time for empathy or regret. All that was left to do was move forward and try to survive.

Hiro sat fully up and worked his way up to standing. The pain he had first felt when moving was dulling and he managed to steady himself. Turning his gaze down to Alpha, the stamen looked pathetic. He felt a sting of guilt at the thought and buried it, passing the blame to his exhaustion. Shaking his head, he tried to clear his mind and focus on the task at hand. Take it one step at a time. He reached down and grasped Alpha’s shoulders with both hands, hoping to somehow attract his attention halfheartedly. It didn’t work, but that was unsurprising. “Alpha, we need to move. We can’t stay here,” he tried, the hoarseness of his voice surprised him- a reminder of how sore his neck was. This exhausted made him not kneen to try to comfort Alpha at the moment, and the pain from speaking just drove that notion home.

Hiro sighed, deciding that persuasion would be a waste of both their time and settled on hocking his arms under Alpha’s and pulling him up. He was limp in his arms, but once he let go he still had enough awareness to catch himself and not fall. His head was still hung and his eyes downcast, clouded over. If things stayed the way they were, it looked like he’d be dead weight moving forward. It would be a different story if they were to use the franxx to escape but Hiro knew that it wasn’t cowardliness keeping him from entertaining that idea. With his condition, he would barely make it a few steps without mentally and physically giving out under the strain of rampage and then they would be in even deeper shit. Wrapping Alpha’s arm around his shoulders and then firmly grasping his waist, he pulled them both forwards the entrance of the cockpit. He was grateful that the franxx design incorporates two lock controls, one near the entrance and one on the stamen’s controls, so he could easily exit with Alpha in toll. The franxx had landed at an angle, leaving the cockpit slightly tilted to the side making getting their footing a little awkward, but they managed to make it to solid ground.

A few meters in front of them was the other franxx, reawakening the unease in Hiro. The franxx looked horrendous, the left side of its head in complete ruins. Its body had various other damages to it as well with its right hand twisted unnaturally, the chest plate hanging loosely on, its left leg nothing more than a mess of wires along with other smaller injuries. Around the carnage, a yellow liquid leaked from the franxx injuries, as if the franxx itself was bleeding despite the discoloration. The sight was uncanny with the parlor and oozing laceration far too reminiscent of a corpse, bringing bile to Hiro’s throat. He swallowed it down and moved forward, bringing Alpha with him towards the ruins, hoping that his suspicions were wrong and that he was at least able to save one pair of the Nines.

The franxx was lying fully on its left side, giving the impression its skull had been split open on the ground. Hiro shivered at the thought and shook his head, trying to clear it. Now wasn’t the time, he had to stay focused. They shuffled forward, Alpha being more dragged along than anything else. He had worried about how to get the faceplate open with it in its current state, but it seemed that it wasn’t necessary as the damage when straight through the cockpit. Wires hang down like a curtain in front of the damage, shielding him from seeing inside. He forced them aside and walked into the franxx, attempting to mentally prepare himself for what was next.

He wished that his eyes still needed to adjust to the darkness, because it would have given him a few more seconds to prepare for the sight of Delta, usually so playful and proud, clutching Epsilon as she choked out cries. She sat sunken down on her knees with Epsilon limp on her lap. She held him to her chest, one hand holding his head to her and stroking his hair with the other wrapped around his waist. Her head was turned into his hair, muffling her despair. Her hands were coated with blood, his blood from what he could tell. However, what stopped Hiro in his tracks wasn’t Delta- it was Epsilon. He wasn’t dead. He made gluteal chokes and gurgles, blood trying to escape his throat. The breaths he could get in were crackled and short, the telltale rattle that his life was coming to an end. His fingers, pale as snow with blue nails, twitched weakly. Hiro couldn’t make himself move or look away, just watch as Epsilon’s breathes grew fewer and fewer until he succumbed with one last wet swallow and stilled. 

The world stood still for a second, Hiro not daring to even breathe before Delta let out a tortured wordless scream. She howled, her sobs cutting through any thought before Hiro could form it. Between cries, she would call out to him, as if she could will the life back into him. As he continued to not answer him, she grew more desperate- resorting to shaking him begging him to answer her. She begged and begged, pleading for him to come back, pleading him to let her take his place. She was broken, not able to accept that he was gone, not comprehending that there was nothing more to be done. Guilt crashed down upon Hiro, one thought echoed through his mind, that if he had only been faster, this wouldn’t have happened. Whether it was true or not didn’t matter to him, all that mattered was the shattered girl in front of him.

“...Delta…” a voice croaked, pulled Hiro out of his thoughts. He was finally able to pull his eyes away from Delta to glance over at his side. For the first time since he had awoken, Alpha was looking forward. His eyes were empty and shrunken it, with dark bags underneath him. He looked like a dead man.  
“...Delta…” Alpha repeated, his voice slightly clearer this time, more sure. He pulled himself away from Hiro and stumbled forward to Delta. She seemed unaware of his present, focused solely on Epsilon. Her cries had become quieter, wordless with only chokes and gasps being heard. Alpha leaned forward and placed his hands on her shoulder and wedge the other between her and Epsilon and started to push the two apart.

Delta jolted, realizing what was happening and struggled to pull him back to her, but despite looking so weak Alpha was strong enough to continue. Delta’s cries increased in volume and she screamed, “No! Please, no! I belong with him, I want to be with him! I...I need to be with him...without Epsilon...without my partner...I have, I have no….” Her voice trailed off to a whimper and sobs, shaking her head seemingly trying to deny that Epsilon was lost.

With one strong push, Alpha separated the two and Epsilon fell to the ground. Hiro flinched at the thud his body made, but he could now clearly see what had killed him. The left side of his face, there was nothing there but gore, pieces of flesh and bone hanging from his jaw, the bridge of his nose trailing off to mincemeat and his forehead caving in on himself. Leaking down from the cavum was blood and gray matter. His right eye stared lifelessly at Hiro as if to blame him as if to tell him that he couldn’t be forgiven. He wanted to throw up.

Delta shrieked and tried to lunge at Epsilon but Alpha held her steady, moving so he was fully in front of her and placed his other hand on her other shoulder. She tore her eyes away from Epsilon and glared at Alpha with a look of pure rage and began to yell something out before it died in her throat and Alpha fell to his knees. With his hands still on her shoulders, he fell forwards, his head pressing into her chest as he curled in on himself. Delta looked shell-shocked and for a moment, she stopped crying. She repetitively opening her mouth but nothing came out. Her eyes flickered between Alpha and Epsilon.

“....Delta…” Alpha whispered, his voice desperate as. “...Delta…don’t leave me…” he begged, his voice cracking. His hands tightened on her shoulders, to the point where it had to be painful.

At his words, Delta squeezed her eyes shut as fresh tears rolled down her face. When she opened her eyes, she forced his hands off her shoulders and moved them down to her lap while staying hand in hand. Alpha lifted his head and looked at her, both of their faces stained with tears. Between them, they shared something akin to hope but much duller. She nodded and whatever happened between was broken and then both glazed down at their hands. Their sorrow was palatable, but there was something else that resided in them as well. 

Hiro’s own spell was finally broken as he found himself in control of his body again. He gasped for air, not realized how shallow his breathing had become. Once he caught his breath, he moved forward and kneeled between the two of them. He felt a slight pressure give in now that he wasn’t in the line of Epsilon’s gaze, he knew it was temporary and he couldn’t avoid his guilt forever but he forced that to the back of his mind. He reached out to place his hands on them to get their attention but pulled back, feeling as if that would somehow be entering a space that wasn’t for him. So instead he reached out and put each of his hands on one of their shoulders. They both looked over at him slightly, their eyes blank slates, unreliable. Their stares tore into him still, and he found any words of comfort die on his lips, it wasn’t as if they could take the pain away. He felt that even if he tried, his attempts at sympathy and comfort wouldn’t reach them- that could only be found in each other, not himself. But their eyes bored into him still, so he brought his focus to the situation at hand, deciding on their next mood. “I’m sorry, but we need to keep moving,” Hiro said softly despite himself. “+The klaxosaur are still out there and we don’t have the protection of the franxx anymore. We need-”

“I understand,” Delta cut in abruptly with her voice strong and steady, surprising Hiro. He hadn’t actually expected a response from either them of them, let alone something so composed. “We have to get back to Papa. Right, Alpha?”

“Yes, Papa is depending on us, we can’t be gone for long,” Alpha agreed, his voice flat.

Ah, so that’s why. He had thought that from what Alpha had said before that it was otherwise, something more personal, but well, it didn’t matter now. 

“I...okay,” Hiro wanted to argue that they should want to escape for their own sakes, but right now it wasn’t worth it. “Well then, we should get moving- ah, I’m sorry, but I don’t think we can bring Epsilon.” The thought of forcing them to leave their squadmate sat ill with him. If he had been told to leave one of his squadmates behind, he wouldn’t have been able to do it. He would be disgusted and angry just at the proposition of doing such.

Yet Delta displayed none of these misbringings, instead, she nodded sharply and responding with that same tone, “It's pointless and he would slow us down.” It was uncanny to hear her speak of her partner so callously after how she clung to him before, but then again she could be in shock. It seemed like both of them had forced their mindset to shift, either to protect themselves from the pain or to be able to get through this situation. He hoped that was the reason, not because of what they were implying.

Both Alpha and Delta stood up and made their way out of the cockpit. Hiro sat there for a moment, staring at where Epsilon laid. It didn't feel right to leave things like this. Hiro shifted over so he could reach him and reached out to touch his shoulder, gently as if not to wake him and turned him over to his back. Hiro sat at his side and looked down at Epsilon, deliberately meeting his sage eye, nearly the same shade as Delta’s. When Delta had looked at him when speaking, her eyes looked as lifeless as Epsilon’s did now. A part of her died with him, with all of the Nines that now lay dead within the franxx as their tombs. Epsilon stared up at him, somehow with a knowing gaze laced with concern. Hiro smiled sadly, even in death he was looking out for his partner.

“I understand how you feel, even on the brink of death I was worried for my partner, but your fight is over. I’m sorry I couldn’t save you and your squad but I won’t allow for any more deaths. I’ll get those two back to safety, I swear to my bones. So rest easy now,” Hiro whispered, holding Epsilon’s gaze. To cement the act, Hiro careful closed Epsilon’s remaining eye, sending him into eternal sleep. He couldn’t bring back the dead, but the least he could do was comfort him while sending him off.

When Hiro retracted his hand, some of Epsilon’s blood has transferred. He couldn’t bring himself to wipe it off, he found it fitting and a reminder. His blood, all of the fallen Nines’, their blood would still be on his hands no matter if he scrubbed his skin wrong and those two would still bear the scars of grief. There was nothing to be done about Delta, he couldn’t bring back the dead. But maybe with Zeta safely back in the plantation, she could bring life back to Alpha. All the more motivation to deliver them safely back to plantation 13.

He had to jog slightly to catch up with Delta and Alpha, who had continued ahead without him. They showed no signs that they had noticed his presence, but that was unimportant. What he needed to do now was focused on finding a way out. Despite their outer composure, Hiro had doubts that they were in a sound state of mind to find a way out so he took point, neither of them seemed to mind this and fell in place a few paces behind on his flanks.

As he pushed his panic and guilt to the back of his mind for the sake of the task at hand, he became aware of the alluring sounds once again, the very same that had directed him into this corridor. With his mind slightly cleared, he could make out that it was indeed seemingly wordless song but beautiful nonetheless. As the corridor splintered off, the song pulled him towards particular ones having him weave through the complex network of tunnels. The further he went, the more clear the song became. As he listened, he realized that it was not wordless. The slightly stops and repetitive syllables- it was a language, just one he didn’t understand. Yet it felt familiar as if he was listening to words he had forgotten rather than something completely foreign. He was vaguely aware that they were going deeper into the Earth, but it was as if it didn’t matter. Despite the small voice in his mind attempting to get him to listen to reason, he continued on.

The tunnels were timeless. There was no sunlight to judge the time from, only the soft blue light from the highlights that crisscrossed the wall in a way reminiscent of circuit boards or veins. The tunnels themselves were a strange mix of organic and synthetic- the form the tunnels and turns they took too deliberate and clean to be natural, but the walls were not flat, rather made of what could be scales and he could have sworn he saw them ripple as if they were breathing. It wasn’t as unsettling as it should be, it should be in his blood to be as he was bred and raised only to fight klaxosaur. Yet, it never sat right with him to blindly follow orders and there was another blood in him now. The very same that likely sang to him now.

Meanwhile, Alpha was getting agitated with Hiro, seemingly leading them randomly and the corridors he kept choosing were leading them deeper into the Earth, not out of it. But Hiro never turned around or even chose the paths that were cleanly sloping upwards. He was leading them further away from Papa, who he desperately needed. Without his instructions or blessing, he was lost. He was already to be disgraced when he reported his failures, but that would be his fate. His felt shameful fear of what would happen to him- Papa was fair and nice, any punishment he received was deserved. And now, it must look like he is running away. His annoyance, and fear masked by it, was boiling over. He harshly snatched Hiro’s arm and turned him around and snapping “Where are we going? Because it seems like we’re following a fool!”

Hiro was startled, forgetting for a moment that Alpha and Delta were with him. “What do you mean? I’m following the..” he trailed off, realizing that it must be only him who could hear the song and that given who Alpha was, telling him would not turn out well.

“Following what? You clearly don’t know what you’re doing, as I should have expected from a human.” He scoffed, staring at Hiro with a look of disgust. “Now I made a fool of myself, believing we could make you into something more,” he hissed lowly, seemingly more to himself than anyone else.

Silence fell upon the group, Alpha’s hands in a fist with his teeth bore, having a silent battle with himself. Delta, well, Delta looked like a ghost of herself. Hiro just stared at Alpha for a few moments, expecting him to say more but when he didn’t he decided to break the silence. “I know where we are going,” Hiro sort of lied, he didn’t know but he knew they were going to a safe place, where he was drawn too.

“What could you possibly mean?” Alpha growled while swinging to grab Hiro’s arm and pull. “Don’t act so sure when you’re leading us downwards in a worthless waste of time! Come on, we’re leaving.”

Hiro’s mind stopped, panic digging its claws into him. They couldn’t leave! He wanted to, no, he had to follow that alluring voice...but he had to get Alpha and Delta to safety. But that voice felt so warm and welcoming, surely its owner meant no harm to them. She wouldn’t hurt them, just like she promised not to hurt him. Hiro startled, suddenly recalling where he had heard the voice before. In his vision, that voice was the same as that creature. Her voice had felt so sad but warm towards him, with an affection for him as if she had known him for years, known him for many lifetimes. He wanted to go to her.

Alpha tugged harshly on his arm again, getting Hiro’s attention. He pulled away with ease, leaving Alpha slightly shocked at Hiro’s newfound strength. They locked eyes, neither willing to give up any ground. Alpha finally gave in, glancing away and furring his brow before pushing Hiro hard in the chest. Hiro stumbled back, having not firmed himself as he didn’t expect it. Alpha then turned his back to Hiro and spat out, “Fine, I don’t care what you do. But I’m not following your delusions any further.

As Alpha began to stalk away, Delta’s eyes loosely traced him and began to mindlessly follow. Hiro, his body moving before he could full think, grabbed her hand and guided her in the other direction, the way towards the source of the singing. His mind catching up, he thought that if he had Delta with him then Alpha would certainly follow. His conclusion proved right when Alpha turned back confused, relaxing that Delta wasn’t behind him. Seeing Hiro hand in hand with Delta caused a spike of anger and annoyance, “Delta, come here! What do you think you’re doing? We have to get back to Papa.

Delta barely turned her head to look at him, her eyes glassed over. It seemed as if she was trapped in her mind, perhaps reliving the death of her partner. With that, Alpha couldn’t be mad at her. But at Hiro, he could freely target his anger. “Stop this at once! I won’t stand for this outright childish behavior,” Alpha shouted before running towards Hiro to reaching out to try to grab Delta.  
Seeing Alpha’s advance, Hiro began to run as well taking Delta in toll. Alpha continued to shout, but it faded to the back of Hiro’s mind as he concentrated on following the singing. He following twisted and turns all sloping downward without a thought until he can to a clearing and stopping. This room was different. It was hexagonal in shape, each wall having a doorwards but all but the one they came from and one other were blocked. The room had a different feel to it, the temperature dropping and a slight fog gliding over the floor. However, the open doorway caught his gaze. Alpha caught up to them, panting slightly and started to say something before he froze, eyes flickering across the room before settling on the same thing as Hiro as figures emerged from the doorway. A klaxosaur, no doubt. The sight pulled Delta out of her mind, tensing up the same as Alpha did.

The beast was quadrupedal with its shoulders having to be nearly event with Hiro’s height. Its form brought memories of the wolves that Hiro had read about when young. Its eyes were piercing, its sclera a powerful blue that glowed in the darkness with its iris pure black. Its fur was a duller blue with streaks of black, however, its face and back had markings of the same strong blue native to the klaxosaurs as its eyes. Its claws, which had to measure at a massive seven centimeters, jutted out forward glowing just as bright. As the beast staked forward, four more appeared behind it- a pack. None of them growled or showed any signs of aggression, yet all of them seemed to stare into his very soul.

As his eyes were captured, the singing stopped and there was silence only for a moment until that beautiful voice spoke for only Hiro, _“Welcome, young one, My steads to escort you- I thank you greatly for coming his far on your own.”_

“I knew it was your voice that called me. Does this mean I’ll be about to speak to you in person?” Hiro whispered to seemingly no one, in Alpha’s and Delta’s eyes. Alpha wanted to hiss out what a fool that boy was, but one of the klaxosaur turned its head towards him and let out a low growl for a second as if it could see his motions. He stayed quiet and watched them instead.

_“Of course, my prince, I’ll have an audience with you and you’ll learn of your brethren and your queen to your heart’s content,”_ but she paused in a way that seemed different as if she was considering her words. _“However, I have no need for those of thinbloods to join us, nor do they have the right.”_ As she spoke, he detected the slightest hint of disgust for the first time.

Hiro stared into the dark hallway in confusion, thinbloods? He didn’t know what she meant by that exactly. But his attention was quickly turned to the klaxosaurs stalking forward with low growls in their throats. However, the first one was silent as it walked to him and bowed, offering its back to him to climb on. He enticed by the offering and the promise of learning more about that majestic creature. He nearly was upon the klaxosuar’s back when he heard a scream. He looked for the sourcing, seeing Alpha on the ground with his arm in one of the beast's mouth with another tearing into his legs. A quick glance showed Delta was in just as bad shape, whimpering as one of the klaxosaur had her pinned on her back with her neck beneath her throat as it loomed over her and another pounced on her lower back and latched his jaws onto her side. She screamed weakly as the beast tightens its grip. Hiro was stunned, she had clearly ordered the klaxosaur to attack the Nines, but he still felt safe in her presence, even if it was indirect. But he couldn’t leave them for dead, he couldn’t be the cause of any more deaths. As he lowered himself back to the ground and was about to go to them when the klaxosaur, his, nudged him. Its eyes looked sad and begging and it let out a whimper. He placed his hand on its head and stroked its head for a second before pulling away and running towards Delta, the closest of the two. She met his glance and called out, her voice shaking, “...please...help,” as she reached out towards him. 

He ran to her and pulled the klaxosaur on her near off her, it struggled but his strength won and he managed to throw its some distance before trying to pry open the jaws of the next. The other klaxosaur did not stay down and lunged towards her, not him although he was the one who should be the target of its angry. Hiro dropped to a kneel and balanced himself on one knee as he kicked the klaxosaur, stalling its approach. “No, please stop!” he called out to her, hoping that she was still listening. 

_“What troubles you, my prince? Thes of the thinner blood only have sinister intentions, they fall under the folly of man. I can see their souls’ truth, they mean only harm to us, only harm to you and I. Why must you waste your worries for them?”_

“I can’t let them die!” Hiro called out, desperation and a hint of fear in his tone. He had managed to pull the jaws off of Delta, but he struggled to continue to hold it back while keeping the other away. And Alpha was still struggling.

_“Leave them be and come with your kin, don’t you want to be with those which you’ve come and those which with come from you? Their similarities are skin deep, they can’t give you what you desire.”_

“What I desire?” Hiro whispered, his memories flowing back to him of Zero-two and his squad. He was happy with what they had but...he did find himself wanting more at times. When he was alone with Zero-two and he remembered the path that only they walked, he couldn’t help but sometimes consider...that it would be nice to have another that shared their bond, their blood. He almost became lost in the thought before he snapped back to reality. “That doesn’t, that can’t matter now! Those two are in front of me, that’s what matters! That’s what I must focus on. They are…” he trailed off, wanting to say friends, maybe family, but that would be a lie. They weren’t Zero-two, they were his squad. They had not been helpful to him or friendly towards him, the closest to a friendship he had was with Alpha, a relationship full of strain. But despite everything, there was a possibility they could be- but even if there was they were still living and they were suffering in front of him. He couldn’t live with himself to abandon him, no matter how badly he wanted to do otherwise for his own desires “I...I made a promise. I have to see it through. If that means,” he struggled with his words, his guilt over wanting to place his own interest above her safely mounting as he struggled more and more not to give in, “ even if that means I have to walk my path alone! If this is what it means to join you to...to find more like myself then I never will! I can’t stand by while people suffer, I can’t stand by when there’s someone waiting for them! When there’s someone waiting for me.”

All the klaxosaurs stopped their assault and stumbled back as if physically struck. At that, he was sure they were muses of her, not just acting on her commands. They were her will. _“No! I need you! We need you Mikipa!”_

Hiro rushed to take Delta and put pressure on her wounds. They looked nasty, but thankfully they seemed to not be as deep as he first thought. Meanwhile, Alpha gasped for breath and clutched his arm. “I can’t!,” Hiro cried out, the tears that he had been holding back as longing overtook him, “I can’t go with you, not now. They need me.”

_“You belong with us, you mustn’t forsake us!”_

“I’m sorry, I have to bring them back” Hiro sighed, gazing into his beast’s eyes as if they were hers, trying to express how deeply he desired what was being offered to him and what might come of it. “Another time, if you’ll have me,” Hiro said desperately, coating in sadness and want. “I truly want to learn about you but-”

_“Hush, my prince,” the voice said sweetly. “I now understand- you are bound by a code of honor. It is unfortunate, but it is not shameful. I will always be with you, in your dreams when you’ll have me. You come to me someday, you can’t deny your blood right."_

At her words, almost all the klaxosaurs turned and slunk back from which they came. One, however, walked towards Hiro and nuzzled his face, and it felt as if the ghost of her hand had cradled him. The beast then walked towards one of the walkways and pressed its head against the center. From it, a loose spiral of blue spread on the wall blocking it. The light bled to the entire wall until it faded away, revealing a passage. The passage that the same blue spiral that seemed to drill onwards until a sloping path was revealed and under it, and platform. From the corners of the platform were blue rails that following the passage upwards. An elevator of sorts, to the surface. _"Make haste, so we may soon meet once more.”_ With her words, the klaxosaur turned back and gave him a forlorn look before disappearing down the same path as its kin. With it, tan emptiness fell over Hiro, the air lacking both her voice and song- her presence gone.

“Thank you,” he whispered, “I promise, I’ll find my way back.” His gaze lingered on the darkness that had once held the one he wanted so badly to meet. He closed his eyes and sighed, he would have his chance another time- both of them would make sure of it.

Hiro turned his focus to Delta and helped her to her feet. She was unsteady at first but got her footing, nodding at Hiro in thanks. He helped her to the wall to support her as she walked towards the doorway. Hiro then darted over to Alpha, dropping to his knees to tend to his injured. He was about to attempt to rip part of his parasite suit off as a tourniquet, but looking at the injury it seemed that the blood was clotting well. He came to wonder if he had a quickened healing period like Zero-two did.

Alpha, on the other hand, did not take well to Hiro attempted help as Delta did. Hd pushed him off and growled, “What the hell was that?”

Hiro breathed out, having tolerated Alpha’s attitude for so long he was getting to the end of his rope, “I was going to try to help you out with your wounds, as I assumed you were-”

“Not that you idiot!” Alpha snapped, looking at Hiro with exasperation. “What was that- that whole thing! You were leading us to this, why would you do that? And who were you talking to, rambling on like a maniac? And how did you control the klaxosaurs like that?”

“I- slow down, Alpha, does that really matter now? Shouldn’t we focus-”

“Of course it matters! From what I’ve seen, you tried to murder us but backed out at the last second! You-You could control them somehow, was before part of your plan too? Has this been your game all along- to get rid of us? Of course, Iota put you up to this didn’t see. She would-”

‘SHUT UP” Hiro yelled, breathing heavily. After all, he had down for them, Alpha was accusing him of such things! He had only been trying to help and save them his whole time at his expense. The absolute nerve of him, he couldn’t believe it. “Shut up...I don’t know what happened but I won’t be having you throw such accusations at me when all I’ve been doing is trying my best to help you! I never wanted to go long on this mission with you in the first place, I never planned anything against you!”

“Oh as if, everything adds up you-”

“Then why didn’t I leave you for dead? Why didn’t I let those klaxosaurs consume you back before in the hanger? If I could control them, which is ridiculous, I could have abandoned you in the franxx and been scott free. With you the stamen you couldn’t do anything! Yet I stayed and got you out of the situation YOU caused at my own expense. I’ve been trying my best to be continuous to you and helpful while you...you’ve been too full of yourself to do anything useful. You attacked first! You wouldn’t listen to me at all!”

“I..” Alpha near whispered while backing away from Hiro, his eyes full of fear and confusion. “You..you’re wrong. I’m not the problem. I can’t be, I can’t be…” Alpha’s vice tricked down shakily to silence before turning to the ground his whole body shaking. He couldn’t accept the blame, he couldn’t accept that he had a role in his squad’s death. He was a Nine, he was perfect- yet, his squad had still been massacred. If they were so perfect, so indestructible then how...

“Look,” Hiro sighted. “It doesn’t matter, let’s just go.” He gestured towards the doorward, “Zeta’s waiting for you.”

Alpha jolted up, that’s right, Zeta was back at the plantation, she was safe. He had a partner to return to. With the three of them, they still had a squad. Alpha brought his hand to his racing chest and clawing in above his heart. He was still needed, he was still worthwhile. His heartbeat calmed and he looked back at Hiro and limped past him. He wouldn’t admit that he was right, but there was no use staying down here. It could be a trick, this place seemed full of them, but it was their best bet. He wasn’t satisfied with the answers Hiro had given him, he hadn’t explained his actions that brought them here but he was tired. He just wanted to get back and rest.

Delta followed Alpha and Hiro came beside her, to catch her if she needed help and was still dizzy from the pressure on her neck. She seemed fine and they all climbed aboard the platform. Hiro looked around for a switch or button as he got on, but the second he did it stayed moving upwards. She had kept her end of the deal.

He couldn’t quite tell how far down there were or how long it took them to reach the surface, down in the tunnels time seemed like a foreign concept. But eventually, the platform did slow and the ceiling above it received back. He had to shield himself from the rock and earth falling on him, but when he brought down his arm from his face, he saw the bright midday sun.

He couldn’t tell, had they really only been down there a few hours or had a whole day come and gone? Either now on the surface, he finally gave in to the exhaustion and fell to his knees. He and keep his promise to himself, he had got them to the surface. Now they had to wait, and hope someone came for them. Looking around they were on a plain with nothing around to shield them. Over near the horizon, he saw a dip in the Earth, perhaps made from where they had fallen what seems years ago. But it was too far and he couldn’t be bothered to check. Around him, Delta had laid on her side with the injured one up, seeming to accept that they had to wait. On the other hand, Alpha was still standing and looking around, seemingly trying to devise a plan. However Hiro couldn’t be bothered to argue with him or try to calm him, he was tired. Leaning back on his hands he slid to the ground. Once again raising his arm to shield his eyes, but this time from the blazing sun.

* * *

He did not dream. He didn’t hear her mystically voice nor did he see his Jian, his other half. His mind was empty, in complete rest until he did hear a voice, a distant voice calling his name getting closer and closer until his mind faded into consciousness. He was greeted by the beating sun and the unpleasant feeling of sweat and blood dried on his skin. After a few moments he sat up and stretched while glancing beside him, it looked like both the Nines faired similarly, just waking themselves.

“Hiro!” a voice called, the same that had woken him, he bolted up and trying to find the source before his eyes settled on the ever-familiar white and blue maiden. A smile broke out, he was still exhausted but he couldn’t help the rush of excitement and relief that flooded over him. He reached up high and waved, hoping to catch their attention. It seemed to work and he saw a burst of light behind Delphinium, the telltale sign of boosters being engaged. She gained ground quickly, digging one of her feet into the ground to slow herself to a stop just a few meters in front of them. On her face, he saw the crosshatching of tears as she bent down and pulled her knees to her chest before blinking offline and her faceplate opening. 

Ichigo and Goro rode down on the lift wire to the ground, not waiting until then were completely there to jump down and run to him. He could barely open his mouth to call their names until he was engulfed in a hug. Goro was wrapped around one side of him with his face buried into his hair while Ichigo was on the other with her head nestled into his chest. If his arms were constrained, he would be clutching them as close as possible. “Ichigo, Goro- I’m so glad to see,” he managed out, his voice shaking not able to express the true extent of his relief.  
Both of him pulled away, Goro lifted his glasses to rub the tears from his eyes and Ichigo sniffed both trying to compose themselves. Goro beat her to it, speaking first, “Hiro, I’m-I’m so glad we found you. We had been searched without a sign and every moment felt like forever and I thought that you had been..”

“It’s okay Goro, I wouldn’t leave you guys like that,” Hiro tried to say lightly, but his voice was still heavy with emotion as he placed a hand on his shoulder. Goro reached up and clasped Hiro’s hands in his, squeezing his eyes shut to try to hold back tears.

Ichigo took his other hand and spoke next, “When we got the signal, there was no way to tell who it was from. And there was only one, so we couldn’t know if you had...if you were still with us.” 

“Don’t worry, I’m safe now thanks to you too,” Hiro said as he reached up and brushed her bangs out of her face then reached up to pet her hair. The moment cause Ichigo to hold back a choked cry, but also got a smile on her face so he considered it a win.

Hiro was happy to see them, but then a shot of concern took hold of them. “Where’s Zero-two, I thought she would be there. Is she okay?” he asked desperately.

“Don’t worry,” Goro comforted, “she’s fine. She just wasn’t allowed to come along, but she’s just as eager to see you as we were.” At Goro’s words, he breathed a sigh of relief, that was until he noticed Goro glancing to the side uncomfortable. “Is this it? Only you three made it out, and without any franxx?”

Hiro shrugged away, not sure how to explain everything that happened, “it's a long story, one I promise to tell you but I’m just tired now. I just want to go home.”

“Of course,” Ichigo sharply said, all business. “I promise we’ll get you back.” she turned and started walking back to Delphinium before stopping and flinching, turning back to Goro. “How are we going to sneak the Nines in?”

“Sneak us in? Why would we want to be sneaked in? We need to make our presence known and report to Papa,” Alpha said and he stood up and spoke with false authority.

“Well..” Ichigo squirmed, looking to Goro for help.

He sighed, “I don’t know how to put this, but there’s a situation and if you want to stay alive, you can’t parade in there.”

“You’re not making any sense!” Alpha snapped, stepping forward and tugging hard on Goro’s arm, making him stumble. “I’m tired of all this cryptic shit.”

Delta did make her away to Alpha side and trying to pull him off, she was paler than normal and had heavier bags under her eyes- she had to have been more tired than all of them, but he smacked her off. Ichigo went to catch her as she fell back and glared at Alpha, “Stop that! If you want us to be blunt then fine, but don’t blame me for wanting to spare your feelings, Zeta’s dead- killed actually.”

Delta stiffened in Ichigo’s arms and Alpha let go and went ghostly pale and turned to Ichigo. “What do you mean?” he spoke in what seemed like a deadly calm voice, but Hiro knew better- it was the voice of a man who was about to break.

Goro stepped in and put a hand on Ichigo’s shoulder as she turned away, not able to face Alpha despite her previous statement. Goro gave him a sympathetic look but continued, “We didn’t get the full explanation but we gathered the basics- Papa deemed your squad- there’s no way I can say this lightly- useless because you failed a mission and that it was assumed some if not most of you were dead. Armed adults came and they killed Zeta, and with what we caught they have orders to kill what was left of the Nines squad when we brought you back.”

Hiro was taken aback, but he couldn’t find it in him to be surprised. Not with knowing his past, not with knowing Zero-to’s past. He knew they could be cruel, he knew they would use them until they were deemed useless, but to kill the elite squad? It seemed improbable, but he couldn’t deny what Goro had said did ring true. 

Alpha fell to his knees and brought his hands to his head hung low while tearing into his hair. “They killed...Zeta? We’re-we’re useless..then what..”

Goro kneeled beside Alpha while Ichigo was trying to comfort Delta and spoke softly, “I know this is sudden, but we will get you back safe.”

Alpha hit Goro hard without warning, knocking his glasses off and stood up and yelled “You don’t understand! Without a partner I am nothing! Without Papa I am nothing! What point is there, if we aren’t needed..”

Hiro went to Goro and picked up his glasses and gave them to him. Hiro placed his hand over Goro cheek where Alpha had hit him and looked worried. Goro just smiled back as if the pain meant nothing, “Don’t worry, Hiro, I’m okay.” Hiro was skeptical but just helped him up without a word.

Ichigo helped Delta sit down and sighed, turning to Hiro and Goro, “Its no use with them, but we can’t leave them either. But I don’t know how to get them back.”

“They definitely will see if we take them back in our hand, but what other way is there?” Goro pondered 

“You could put them in the cockpit with you,” Hiro suggested. “It would be a lot of extra noise in your connection, but if you managed to connect initially you should be able to maintain it.

“I suppose it's worth a try, but I can’t promise it will work,” Goro said skeptically. “Ichigo, you up for it?”

She sighed and rolled her eyes, “They aren’t exactly the people I would choose first to share my head with, but it's our only shot.” She held her hand up to Goro and He grasped it and they nodded in agreement.

“Ichigo, you go ahead. It will be easier for me to lift the Nines than it would be for you since they look like they aren’t going to comply on their own.

“Right, and I’ll comm Hachi and say that we only found Hiro and the franxx weren’t salvageable so there’s no need for a transport. After that, I’ll turn it to voice only.” Ichigo turned back to get on the lift and was on her way back to the cockpit.

Goro started with Delta, who was both lighter and not fighting him and began to walk about towards Delphinium, but he glanced back and said to Hiro, “You’ll be in our hand, sorry if the ride is rocky. And you’ll aright aren’t you? I saw your collar, its almost like it was back when, you know.”

“Oh,” Hiro said and mindlessly reached up to touch his neck, he flinched at the contact with the bruises even with his parasite suit between it. “Yes, I’ll be okay. It’s not like before.”

Goro looked on doubtfully, full subsided back to the task of bringing Delta up. Not wanting to be useless, he went to Alpha who had degraded to just staring at the ground. “Come on, I didn’t save your neck for you to throw away your life now.” Hiro neared down and lugged Alpha up and walked him to the cable, where Goro was waiting. He muttered a thanks before bringing Alpha up. With the four of them insider, the faceplate snapped shut. Hiro waited and got more nervous as time went on, far more time than it should take for a franxx to come online. But thankful, Delphinium flickered back to life. She changed positions so she was kneeling on one leg and offered her palm to Hiro, who climbed onto it. As she stood up she brought her other palm up to safeguard time him. Once settled, he was left with nothing but his thoughts. He looked to the sky and saw it was the same blue as usual, despite everything. He sighed, wishing there were some birds or petals to decorate it, but with nothing, it felt so empty and vast. It was almost if anything that was out there couldn’t take the sky, just as he couldn’t. Alone, he was bound to the ground, even with Ichigo and Goro without his other wing he couldn’t take to the sky.

He just wanted to get back to her, feel whole again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not entirely happy with this chapter, especially with the dialog- I feel as if it is too stilled. But I also feel like I've been looking at this chapter too long to do anything besides be frustrated so I will be coming back to it soon but I would rather work on the next chapters for now until I have clear eyes.
> 
> And finally we have reached the end of the split jian chapters, I like this naming convention so if there does come a point where a split perspective is needed for two detailed events happening side by side I might use it again, but if so that definitely won't be for awhile,


	12. Even Within the Thickest Ice, There Exists Fractures

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zero-two's world is changing so rapidly she feels as if its spinning out of control between the documents she had stolen, the arrival of Salvia, and the omen she received she doesn't know how to take back control.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trigger warning for near drowning- skip to paragraph 13, which starts with "Once she felt sure enough to stand and keep her balance she slowly but surely made her way back to the boarding house." Short description of scene is in endotes
> 
> trigger warning for slight references to sexual content in the pass or future.
> 
> In endnotes is raffle information if you're interested.

It seemed that everyday changes and shifts were overtaking her world. Before she had found her darling, both for the first and second time, the world was still- nothing ever changed. But her Darling was full of surprises, bringing so much warmth and love into her world that had contained only pain and void. But now, she feared his light was to be completely overtaken the darkness that loomed in the present, obscuring the further they dream of. Such changes like the pain her Darling was forced to endure and the Nines treating him like their plaything before managing to do the one thing they have never done before- losing a battle. Along with the adults, the simple slaves to their overlords, becoming more violent even with their own peers partnered with the lurking shadow threat of APE that she tried to push to the back of her mind. They had been quite recently, too quiet. Even with ordering the Nines to interfere with her Darling- their treatment had been lax. It was distressing because she knew they would make their move soon, they would never allow their tools to pick the locks of their cage. 

Yet she couldn’t change the past and couldn’t predict the future. All she could do was act on the present, but her wings were bound tight with chains that seem invisible. Time marches on without rest, and Zero-two could only hope it would march in the direction of her hopes and dreams despite that the path is twisting towards her fears. However, the issue was that she couldn’t act, she just had to wait. And she wasn't exactly the most patient woman. Perhaps that is why she looked into that wretched file that only fueled her dread of the beast that would be taking her Darling from her.

Salvia, a franxx supposedly with more latent power that surpassed the rest, even Strelitzia. A franxx more pure than any other, derived from a beast that was a mystery to her. She regretted opening those damned documents the more she read, her dread growing for what was to come.

After that, her attempt at resting had been useless, which frustrated her but wasn’t surprising either. Between her worry for her Darling along with Ichigo and Goro and the new information, her mind had raced without rest. Zero-two had abandoned the tablet before she had gotten too deep, wanting to avert her eyes, even if just for a short time. But without a task, her mind wandered to him and she couldn’t pull in anyway. The ceiling looked down on her, a reminder of not just her love but the love their squad had for him. But when she turned away and closed her eyes, it was harder- no impossible- to ignore his scent. It had been changing slowly over time as her blood became active within him, but it had recently changed drastically along with his body after he had first acted as a pistil. Yet she still loved it so much, it was still so comforting and so him. Sleeping with him was wonderful, sleeping had always been difficult for her- she felt as if she could never escape her smell then- always the smell of blood, of klaxosaur or men. But...her Darling never thought so, when she had mentioned it, he had replied that she was wrong, that it wasn't true at least to him. He told her that back when he was mostly human, he didn’t pay much attention to scents but as he changed so did his sensitivity. And that naturally being so close to her he felt like he had become intimately familiar with hers. Then he smiled so softly and said with such care that she was the smell of nothing but herself, of the one he loved. She didn’t understand how he could say such a thing, and still didn’t, but she believed him. With his voice like that, she knew he couldn't be lying.

And now their bed smelled like him, and not only that but of them. Any hints of her were intermingled with him, a reminder of how intertwined they had become, how they had given their body and souls to each other. It was too much, it was all too much. These comforts were no longer such, having become daggers thrust into her heart. She had gotten up and sprinted down the hall and out of the boardinghouse. None of the other parasites had tried to stop her, but she assumed most if not all of them had retreated to their rooms and hadn’t recovered from seeing the death of another human up close for the first time. She had long forgotten the first time she saw the death of another, the only thing of the sort imprinted in her was seeing her Darling laying in the snow, his forehead bleeding. She knew that she had been desensitized to a degree that they weren't, that they never could be, and that she probably should have gone to them but she couldn’t. It might have been selfish but she needed to be away from it all. 

Her legs carried her away, not paying attention at all the branches and bushes that snagged on her as she mindlessly pushed them out of the way. When she stopped and became aware of herself again, she was startled at where she was. She was knee-deep in water, and not just any water but that of the lake where her Darling first remembered laid eyes on her, and the true first time he had seen her bare. She hadn’t been embarrassed or nervous at all then- if anything she thought nothing of it- but she would admit that the next time he had seen her, it had been different. Imate in a way before she didn’t know it was possible. But the fondness of the memory had faded to a feeling more like it was haunting her, with the lurking thought of that he could be gone- that she would be plunged into darkness once more overshadowing it all. 

Sighing, she hung her head and resigned to the fact that she could not escape her feelings before she froze as a chill when down her spine, a coldness like that which she had never felt before. Her reflection was staring back at her, unblinking, yet it wasn’t her. What was staring at her was the truth she believed for years, that she was a monster playing human, had manifested itself. What she saw was a twisted version of herself, that which she knew was a full-blooded klaxosaur. Her luminous blue eyes were cruel gems that seemed to strip her down, passing judgment. Her skin was blue, fully klaxosaur- even in her early forms, she had told herself that she had to be somewhat human as she was red, red like their blood, not the blue and black of the monsters. But this version of her had no such attributes that could allow her to believe falsehoods. Instead of her twin horns, which she had always kept short when she discovered how, were replaced with a central blue horn, thick and tall in a way that indicated that it had never been tampered with. Around it, was what she could only describe as a crown. In a way, it reminded her of her old headband- a sign of isolated, of submission. Her hair was inverted, replaced with an arctic blue but much longer than her current style, far more like that of her younger self. Black markings ran down her face like tears and curved around her body culminating into a long tail, that would be perfectly at home on a klaxosaur. She repressed everything she wasn’t in that somehow she knew that this Zero-two was proud of her heritage and fully embraced it. That she was in solitude yet still held power, while Zero-two felt powerless and fearful of isolation.

Her reflection sneered, disgusted plastered all over her face. And when she spoke, she sounded like that of millions of voices, like all the klaxosaur cries she had ever heard and a voice so familiar that she could not place. “How dare you liken yourself to one such as I. You are nothing more than a false princess, a bastard child- you shun your superior klaxo heritage and instead encourage your blood to muddled with that of man. The only value you have is that you were able to open the gateway for my prince, my champion of blood. You foolishly believe he belongs to you, but that is not the case, he will be mine and mine alone. He is to be heir to the throne which awaits only what he can accomplish”

Zero-two forgot her fears of the distortion and lunged down at the water but she was stopped as if she hit a thick panel of glass, the water didn’t so much as ripple. It was unsettling, but her fear and anger broke right through any unease she felt about the situation. This reflection, no- this monster was speaking of her Darling, she had to be. And to lay a claim on him like that, how dare she. They were the jian, once soul in two bodies. She was devoted to her Darling and he felt the same. This interloper needed to be put in her place. She let out a growl and snarled, “My Darling is mine as I am his. You are nothing to us. You must think of yourself as some sort of princess to talk like such an uptight bitch as if you know anything about me, anything about my Darling. All this bullshit talk is just that, talk. You don’t only own him, you’re no heir to him or whatever else you think- I don’t care. All I need to know and all you need to know is that if you ever try to get between us, I’ll kill you.”

The monster’s face changed to that of hate, “You are powerless before me, no matter your efforts you would never be able to slay me. You should be grateful that I have not sentenced you to death or torture yet for how crudely and wrongly you address me. I am not a princess nor have I ever been, there stands no higher power than myself. I am the true ruler of Earth and all its creatures. You were correct in one aspect, I am no heir to any throne. That is because I am the throne, the crown of which rests upon this Earth. As such, I will rest upon my prince and bring forth a new era. Together, greatness will be brought back to our race and the scorn of the Earth will be eradicated.”

With her words, the monster faded away as if she had become submerged deep within the water. But before she entirely disappeared, that monster smirked and opened her arms. A misty figure formed in front of her and she took him into her arms and whispered to him, her words lost to Zero-two. The figure was almost shapeless but Zero-two was sure it was her Darling. She cried out for him as that monster held him, both of them disappearing. When they became no longer visible the water yielded to her and she fell forward, going under. The sudden fall discombobulated her but it didn’t matter to her, she had to get her Darling. She swam downward desperately looking for him, needing to hold him in her arms but she found nothing. Panic had already set it and it was coming to a head, she couldn’t focus but she had to find him she just needed to find him but she couldn’t. Her lungs were burning, her breath had been short from panic and anger during the encounter and it was catching up with her. But she paid it no mind forcing herself forward and collided with the bottom of the lake. Her mind fuzzed over and in shock, she took in water. Her eyes burned from the water until everything became black.

The first thing she noticed was a weight on her chest feeling suffocating when she began to come to, as she opened her eyes she naturally turned on her side and coughed harshly. Her head and chest hurt and she was having trouble thinking. She felt cold and nasty, muk and mug stuck to her face and clothes. She felt thoroughly confused about where she was and what happened, what she was doing. Once she felt strong enough to prop herself up on her elbows she looked around, the scenery familiar when it hit her. It was the shore of her Darling's lake, where was he, was he still down here was he okay? She struggled and stumble towards the water but quickly tripped to her knees into the shallow waters still not sure of her footing. Nevertheless, she was about to force her into the lake when her head cleared a little bit. He...he wasn’t down there. He was out with Alpha, hopefully with Ichigo and Goro. But if that was the case, she couldn’t make sense of what she saw. She had seen that monster, her twisted reflection have him, taking him in her arms. But that, that couldn’t have been real. A symptom of stress and lack of sleep perhaps. She really did feel like a mess but it would be okay so, everything would- had to- go back to normal soon.

Once she felt sure enough to stand and keep her balance she slowly but surely made her way back to the boardinghouse. She was thankful no one was around when she entered, she didn’t want to explain why she looked like a mess. She found her way to the washroom and debated with herself for a moment. A bath would feel nice and her body was aching, but a shower would be faster and she wanted to make her way to the docks. If her Darling was back, he would have been waiting for her. In some ways, it was fortunate he wasn't back yet, if he had found her in that state by the lake he would have had quite the scare. But he would be tired and sore when he got back too, Alpha was never easy on his partners and he would have been especially rough considering the situation he had gotten the Nines Squad into, so maybe she could lure himself into a bath then. She doubted any of their squadmates would make a fuss about them sharing one.

Once she stripped down she started with the hardest part- cleaning her hair. There were mud clumps in it and sticks in the tangles along with who knows what. It took longer than she would have liked, but she made quick work of the rest of herself. Afterworks she seriously considered just leaving in a towel but decided against it so she made the climb up to their room and changed into an extra uniform. Before leaving her eyes caught on the tablet still on her bed and reached for it before disregarding the idea. She just moved it to the windowsill to be forgotten for now. She hadn’t made it completely through the documents but right it was something she could ignore so she did. She was tired anyways, she likely wouldn’t have gotten much further in them. She just wanted to see her Darling.

Finally having herself somewhat presentable, taking care to remember her scarf and headband she began to make her way to the docks. She thought to herself that they should be on their way back, she refused to let herself consider any of the other possibilities.

Once again the trek there was not difficult. Without others she could move freely and sneak without many thoughts, she had been learning to escape her retainers and evade detection for years- while it never lasted long it did come in hand for getting from place to place fast. There was little security near the entrances and the outskirts, but as she moved closer to the main portion of the docks where the franxx were kept more and more adults were present. To avoid a problem in advance, she diverged down a side hallway that was tucked away, which she had only seen maintenance use before. Of course as such, she had to use her S-class ID to pass through but once in she fell into the familiar pattern. She had used passages like these before to get directly to Strelitzia and bypass any on her way when the fog had called to her and a klaxosaur was waiting to be slain. Most of the time she did so alone, her past partners would get in the way instancing on protocol. It was all the same to her, she could pilot Strelitzia in Stampede, she had always felt alone anyways.

That feeling was back of loneliness was back, but it was in a different vain. Before, her loneliness was at home with hopelessness and a degree of presentation. She had still been looking for her Darling, but after so many stamens, her mind had wandered more than once that he might have been killed that when his memories had been taken from him. Now, her hope was strong and true. That didn’t mean she didn’t worry, that didn’t mean that the future didn’t hold terrifying possibilities. But the world was much much bigger than she could possibly imagine, and she would find her freedom in it with her Darling at her side. Before, her loneliness had been purgatory, now it would only be fleeting and she wouldn’t believe otherwise.

She slipped out onto the Strelitzia’s forcegate, hunching down and sticking to the side of the wall where the shadows would conceal her. A quick glance made it clear that no one was near enough to see her and she relaxed slightly and turned her attention to the main portion of the dock. Surveying the area, the place was crawling with workers- mainly engineers and technicians from the looks of their uniforms. But her eyes caught on one man in particular and froze. Offcenter, Hachi was speaking with a handheld hologram. Hachi himself wasn’t the issue, she had paid even less attention to him as she did to Nana, but the man in question was the one that Hachi was speaking to- Doctor Franxx. Hachi had cut the fed seconds after she had noticed him to giving orders to a few of the other supervisors around, but she was sure of who she saw. She tensed her jaw, knowing that it was very unlikely that the Doctor had only called to check in on his experimental squad especially since he had been in the plantation recently, leaving only one other option.

A gust of sharp wind assaulted her as the bay doors opened followed by the telltale hum of massive magma engines confirmed her assumptions. As the engines slowed to a stop and the wind let up, she was about to see the transport plane of the same type that arrived in along with Strelitzia, back when she was still partnered with that stamen she couldn’t even recall the code of. But that wasn’t what mattered, what mattered was that a transport of such time only has one purpose, as its size commands the use of so much fuel. She bristled, just barely suppressing a growl.

Salvia.

She had yet to lay eyes on the franxx, but she already hated her. She was no fool, that franxx was not to be shared with her, she had no place in the equation. With that franxx, her Darling was slipping through her fingers again. To her, that franxx was a beast, more so than any klaxosaur. A with a klaxosaur- she could fight, she could win. But she couldn’t touch that franxx with the cards stacked against her, so that beast would dig her claws into her Darling and try to drag him away from her. If she could get away with it, she would destroy it as she had done with that imitation of Strelitzia the Doctor had tried to force on her. But she knew she would never have that chance, as this franxx was the sister of the Doctor’s obsession. She wouldn’t be able to so much as to scratch her, and that made her all the more resentful. 

The hatch of the plane opened and let the door form into a ramp, but from her position, she couldn’t see inside. What she could see was that Doctor Franxx had arrived from the same transport and even from that far away, she could tell he had seen her when he looked up towards Strelitzia. She always did have the uncanny ability to know where she was. She froze, not even breathing, but the Doctor looked away and refocused on the inside of the transport and ordering the workers around him. She was safe for now, she knew he wouldn’t forget her but his attention would be fully on his franxx for a while, he could challenge her with how protective he was of his franxx as to how protective she was of her Darling. If he ever truly loved something, it would be his creations.

When the franxx was carted out, she couldn’t make up much of her as she was like all franxx being transported, sat down with her knees to her chest and her arms locked around them. The franxx was moved towards her, confusing her as it seemed she was heading straight for Strelitzia’s stall. But out of the corner of her eye, she spotted that there was a new stall where open space had been next to Strelitzia. She was surprised at how rushed the installation of this new addition had to be. The fact that such a large project had been undertaken in use a short amount of time was a testament to how eager the doctor must be to see his creation in action. She couldn’t remember if it had been there when she had visited earlier, as Nana had taken all her attention. She frowned at the thought of her. She had never been close to the woman, she had even found her actively irritating, but she knew her Darling and the rest of her squad cared for Nana. It had occurred to her earlier that she would have to break the news to her Darling and she dreaded it, never wanting to be the cause of pain for him, even indirectly, to never make her Darling’s tears fall again.

Her thoughts didn’t linger for long, as guides came up the floor and down from the ceiling to assist the franxx into a standing position. As Salvia unfolded, she got her first good look at the franxx, and from appearance alone, she could tell Salvia was far more complex than the Nines’ or her squads’ franxx, perhaps even more than Strelitzia.

Her colors alone diverged her from the franxx's of Squad 13 and the Nines, comprised of various shades of blue and black. Her hair was a pastel blue, hanging at its longest below her hips and resting mid-thigh, with two strands pulled out in front of her shoulders, not unlike Strelitzia. Her skin was gray, but not reminiscent of the standard max produced franxx- she looked far too unusual. On her head just like a simple crown, there were two black plats tilted inwards below her two horns of the blue native to klaxosaurs. Her torso was covered in persian in the appearance of a strapless dress, which gave away to netting a teardrop shape from her collars bones to her cleavage. On her hips, there was a peplum made of black curved plates from which long segments of knitted black metal fell- allowing for flexibility similar to fabric- with three of such on both of her sides. Each segment ended just above her heels met and formed a v-shape. On each of the segments, starting about halfway down klaxosaur blue split from the middle slowly expanding before conforming to the ends, giving the appearance of a diamond oblong like a teardrop. On her shoulders, her gray skin gave away to cobalt shoulder guards that sharply pointed outwards, below her armor was comparable to long draping sleeves of the same color with black wrapping expanding over the mid-portion of her arms.

But her most distinct trait, the one which truly set her apart from other franxx were her wings folded behind her, sharing the same persian as her body. They were massive, crossed over each other and beginning to bend out around the halfway point forming what could almost be called a train to her dress.

Those wings confirmed what she had feared, what she had gathered from reading and hoped it wouldn't be true- that she truly had no place in this franxx. This franxx that existed in an area uncharted, not to be operated in a pistil-stamen pair, but with a single parasite and an artificial partner.

Zero-two turned the other and squeezed shut her eyes, the sight had left a bitter taste. She didn’t want to see anymore, she had seen enough. She didn’t want to be reminded how again and again her Darling had and was going to be pulled away from her. She tried to ignore the burning tear that escaped her, wanting to be strong. Now was not the time for self-pity, her Darling would be coming back soon, she needed to focus on that. That she would have him again, that she could hold him again. 

Zero-two slid down fully and pressed her back against the wall, keeping her eyes closed and imagined the moments with her Darling, not the sound of the franxx in the background. She remembered how he first had held his hand out to her when she was most alone with no one in the world, and how she had held hers out to him when he had been lost without a partner. Of when he showed her around the boardinghouse and held her hand, however briefly, again. Of when he was determined to ride with her despite the consequences and how he had made it true, how he had become her wings. Of the mirror he gave her, of how he always thought to include her. Of when he came back for her despite it all, when he once again promised to see the world together- of when they truly became one. Of the quiet nights they shared in the world of their creation, of how she would draw and he would tell her stories, and then of how on those few times they would give themselves to each other in a way new to them both. Of how she could laugh and smile and joke with him and their squad. Of how even through the pain, he was glad to be with her. Of what could come, of what she wanted to come. Of more days together to grow even closer. For him to one day be joined to her as the prince had been to the princess. Of how they could live in a world where they were free from the will of anyone but their own. Of how maybe, with him growing more and more similar to her, they could build a reality that was truly unique for themselves.

She hadn’t realized it, but her thoughts had slowly turned into sweet dreams.

* * *

Zero-two was taken out of her sleep rushing wind that swept over her. Blinking awake, it took her a second to take in her surroundings and put together that she must have fallen asleep on Strelitzia’s bridge. She first looked downwards and saw that all the workers had moved on. The sound of heavy footsteps caught her attention as the wind abruptly stopped. Looking in that direction she saw Delphinium, she was hit with a fresh dose of excitement, anticipation, and anxiety. She didn’t want to keep herself from her Darling for even a second more than she had to, so she swung herself to Delphinium’s platform, the jump and pivot being easy for her. However, when she turned her eyes back to Delphinium it was clear something was very wrong. Her footsteps were heavy and stilted, clearly struggling to walk, and her face was flickering- a telltale sign of a strained connection. But why? Ichigo and Goro had the highest numbers out of Squad 13 and a seemingly solid connection so if they were struggling it had to be something major, could one of the pair be injured? Or perhaps...no, she wouldn’t allow that thought.

Sudden Delphinium lunged forward with a grunt, falling into a kneel before flickering completely offline. Zero-two’s eyes widened and she quickly made the move to slide down the slanted wall between each franxx stall to get to ground level. She sprinted to Delphinium, briefly taking note of her faceplate opening while beelining it to Delphinium’s hand, laying loosely cupped in front of her. “Darling!” she called out as she jumped up onto Delphinium’s hand and lunged at her darling, wrapping her arms around her. He fell backward as she landed on him, but she managed to twist them around just in time so they fell with her underneath him. In hindsight, she probably should have given him more of a warning but she couldn’t wait.

“Zero-two,” her Darling sighed, his voice hoarse and thick with exhaustion, “I’ve missed you.”

“Me too, Darling, more than could now.” She hugged him tighter before whispering, “I thought I might have lost you.”

“I’m here, Zero-two. I’d never leave you to be alone,” he said softly as he sat up and turned to face her with a smile that seemed to glow so bright despite his obvious exhaustion. Here he was, comforting her when he was the one hurt. That was her Darling alright, always looking out for her.

He began to reach for her face and say something before a soft thud interrupted him and he sharply looked over. She followed his gaze and saw Goro with a figure leaning heavily on him injured. She recoiled for a moment, that must have been why Delphinium was struggling- Ichigo was hurt badly. Her Darling had gotten up and was already going to them and she quickly got up to follow. When she caught up, Goro was handing the figure to her Darling while he helped Ichigo down from Delphinium which completely took her back, not understanding. There too was a figure with Ichigo, who Goro had taken from her as she hopped down. In her confusion she looked closer at the figures, recognizing the crimson suits.

Oh right. The Nines. She had forgotten about them and honestly did not care. She was still angry with them for endangering her Darling and she never liked them to begin with. She huffed, while she hadn’t wished for their death- okay, well, she couldn’t quite say that in all confidence about Alpha- but she wouldn’t have minded if they had died. She turned her attention back to her Darling, who was sagging under the weight of another with as strained as he was. She went to him and hooked her arms under the Nines arm and took the weight off him. It was only they did she notice his blonde hair. Both the surprise and her disgust made her drop Alpha.

Her Darling caught him before he completely fell and brought both of them to a keel. With a clear view of him, she saw how distant Alpha’s eyes looked but physically he looked unharmed- unlike her Darling. Of all the Nines to come back, it had to be him. She stared daggers into him, hoping that they would kill him.

“Zero-two,” her Darling said, her mind flickering back to him. “I know you and the Nines have had your differences in the past, especially with Alpha. And I feel the same about them, but they need our help.”

“We couldn’t leave them,” Goro cut in as he moved behind Hiro. She identified the Nine in his support to be Delta, who she would have just as well be glad without her returning. “They were the only ones left," he continued, "their franxx were gone too, if we had left them they would be as good as dead."

“I’m sorry to ask this of you, but we have to get them back to the birdcage and fast,” Ichigo pleaded, placing her hand on Zero-two’s shoulder. “They’ll be killed if they’re found. We didn’t comm in that we had found the Nines and Hiro or that we were coming back, so we have a little time before they'll know.”

She looked between all of them before settling on her Darling. His eyes were serious and determined and she knew by that look that he had made his choice. “Fine,” she resigned. “If that’s what you decided, I won’t fight you right not. I trust you, Darling, and if you think this is what is right then it will be okay,” she forced out. She wasn't upset at her Darling, but it was painful for her to agree to not only spare but help the Nines.

“Will you help Alpha, Zero-two? We’ll move fastest that way,” Goro asked, but by his tone, he must have thought it was unlikely she would agree. She glanced at her Darling and he gave her a reassuring smile and nod. She sighed but did reach down to help Alpha up, but she pulled on his arm more strictly than necessary. She wasn't pleased with being around him at all and was very annoyed at helping him especially with how he didn’t appear to have any injuries.

Ichigo went and helped Hiro up and lingered beside him if he would need more help as they got moving. In the past, she might have been jealous or annoyed at that but those feelings were gone between them and now she was thankful that Ichigo could look out for her Darling since she was stuck lugging around trash. The three of them began towards the exit, but she reached out for her Darling's shoulders. “Wait, I know a way that will let us avoid any stray workers. Follow me.”

She led them to one of the hidden doors in the wall and popped it open. It was convenient that Goro had Delta because he could use her ID to get in. It took a bit of maneuvering, but she managed to get both Ichigo and her Darling in. Luckily there was only ever an initial identification gate in the maintenance hallways so they could move more quickly. She took quite a few turns which took longer than the quickest way to the transports, but it was one of the paths she knew to always be lightly used. The transport she did get them onto wasn’t their normal one, but one meant for the adults moving about the birdcage although it did look the same.

Once she had handled the activation and path, she went back to where they all had settled. They had put the two Nines down in seats and sat across from them. It did give her some satisfaction knowing that even with agreeing to help them, they still felt separate from them. She was going to take her place next to her Darling when her eyes caught his next. The collar of his parasite suit was depressed severely, it was not an accident as the material was too strong to be misshapen that far by chance. She shakily reached out to touch his neck, not mindful of the look of confusion her Darling’s gave her. The impression was the same look that she found on the many stamens when she bothered to look after she sucked them dry, and underneath there would be the same wound she had given her Darling that she couldn’t forgive herself for.

Her blood boiled and she snarled, whipping around to grab Alpha’s hair and tug him up. She let go only for a moment, intention to hold him up by his neck and choke the life out of him as he had tried to do to her Darling. However, before she was able to punish Alpha, her Darling wrapped his arms around her from behind and pulled her back. “It's not what you think! It's okay, I’m okay. He didn’t hurt me intentionally, it just happened.”

Her breath still escaped her heavy and she wanted nothing more than to rip out that bastard’s throat, but she didn’t want to upset her Darling. She took and breath and dug her nails into her fist to try to calm herself, but she didn’t deny herself pushing Alpha back hard so he hit and slumped into his seat. When she turned to go back to her seat, she saw Ichigo had jumped up too. She assumed it must have been to stop her, but then she saw Goro’s hand pulling Ichigo down and the look in her eyes. When she called attention to it, Ichigo must have recognized the wound too because there was hate burning bright. She would have likely done away with Alpha if Zero-two hadn’t gotten to him first and her Darling and Goro hadn’t been there to stop either of them. But even Goro was stiff and his free hand balled into a tight fit with his arm shaken. Perhaps it was overprotectiveness from them all, but there was a kinship between them for the many types of love they all had for her Darling.

With the crisis adverted, they all tried to settle down with her and Ichigo returning to their seats. As she sat down, Zero-two took her Darling’s hand. The feeling of hers in his was grounding as ever and she found herself about to calm to a degree. They all remained quiet like that for a few minutes before her curiosity began to eat away at her. “Darling, what happened with Alpha? With the rest of the Nines?”

“I’m curious too, Hiro,” Goro said, concerned lacing with tone. She hadn’t forgotten how close he held her Darling. “You never told us what happened.”

“Sorry, sorry, I’ve just been...distracted is the word I suppose,” he forced out a laugh but gave her a glance that took her they had something to talk about later. "It's simple, really."

“It had been a training exercise, a mock battle at first. Actually, it had been similar to our mock battle with you two, since we were interrupted by klaxosaurs. They had been detectives nearby and while they had numbers, they weren’t part of a large class so the Nines had been told to intercept. It had gone well but something had felt off, and then the ground had given in. We ended up in a hanger that seemed like the ones are franxx are kept in but far bigger. It was crawling with klaxosaurs and we were overwhelmed, that’s how I got injured. Only Alpha, Delta, and I were able to get away from the attack and make it out. But still don't understand and can't explain the area we feel into."

“An abandoned facility maybe? I believe we were told that humans had tried to survive underground before,” Goro commented as he started to fiddle with his glasses, one of his little signs that he was racking his brain. “But that would still be odd if klaxosaur were gathered there in such a large amount with no magma energy to think of.”

“I thought it so too at first, but it wasn’t that. It felt different, otherworldly almost.”

“That old city we visited by the beach felt that way too in some ways. Like it was ancient and so far removed. It was man-made like that, right?” Ichigo asked, sounding unsure of her words.

“It wasn’t natural, but I don’t know what it is yet.” It caught her attention how her Darling kind of dogged the question if it was man-made or not and the word yet- yet in meaning that he had an idea? Perhaps that is what they had to talk about.

“Ah sorry, that’s okay. It all must have been a lot to take in especially during the fighting,” Goro said kindly, but she crossed eyes with him for a moment. He seemed to also know her Darling knew more than he saw saying, but he was keeping it quiet for now. Ichigo had known her Darling for just as long, so she would have picked up on how he wasn’t being completely truthful as well.

“That’s probably it,” her Darling said, taking the out Goro had made him. “It all had been pretty overwhelming at the time, especially since I couldn’t connect well with Alpha.”

“He shouldn’t have been connecting with you in the first place. And he won’t be again,” she said as much as to comfort her Darling as to comfort herself. She wanted to turn the conversation away for the fight anyway, he was getting clearly uncomfortable and anxious about the topic. “Only I should be connected to you, we are partners after all.”

That got a smile out of her Darling and he squeezed her hand. “That’s right, it has to be you.”

Before she could respond the transport slowed to a stop and the door opened. This stop was formed to look like part of the land to be easy to overlook by the parasite, really only used when the boarding house needed immediate maintenance. The exit was somewhat overgrown, Mistilteinn’s forest had begun to overtake it from its sparse use. The walkway was still clear enough beside a few roots and vines snaking over it. She pressed herself against her Darling for a quick moment, wishing she could forgo the Nines and just spend time with him before standing up and grabbing Alpha. He seemed more aware of his surroundings this time and once she pulled him up, he stood on his own. Goro did the same with Delta, however, her eyes were glassy as can be and didn’t really make an effort to stand. Zero-two exited first to lead with Goro near next to her and her Darling and Ichigo followed. “We’re almost to the boarding house,” Zero-two said as she pointed,” we’re just east of it, you can see it from here.”

“I never knew there was a way out of the birdcage this close. Are there more like this?” Ichigo asked.

“Yes, but none this close. All of the birdcages have terminals like this, hidden within the forest for the adults," Zero-two explained, "but they only open one way so they are practically useless to us." 

The walk there only took a few minutes, it would have been even faster without the dead weight. As they entered the lobby they all paused, realizing that they didn’t know what to do with Alpha or Delta. “So what are we going to do with them?” Goro broke the silence, “I hadn’t really thought that far ahead.”

“Well, they certainly aren’t staying in our room,” Zero-two scoffed. She already had to tolerate Alpha, he would not be allowed to invade their sanctuary.

“The first story,” Ichigo said to herself before speaking louder, “Yes, the first story- where the old Squad 13 used to live. There’s plenty of rooms, although...I would feel guilty about having them there.”

“It’s the best choice we have,” her Darling responded. “We can’t keep them too close, especially since we have to ask the rest of our Squad what to do with them.”

“Ah, that’s true. We didn’t have the chance to ask them ahead of time,” Ichigo said sheepishly, likely feeling it was an oversight she shouldn't have made being the leader. But there was no one she could of, after Zeta they were immediately sent out to retrieve the survivors.

“We can in the morning, it's late,” Goro said. “Right now let's just get them there. Ichigo, I know you and Hiro must be very tired after pistiling under stress. You don't need to put more weight on your shoulders. We can handle this later."

“Don’t worry, Ichigo,” her Darling said as he placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “I know you’re our leader and you want to do your best, but it can wait. Let’s just get them where they need to be and get cleaned up.”

In his words, inspiration struck her and her excitement bubbled. She turned to Ichigo, “Here, guide Alpha back to where they’ll be staying. I’ll be back, just meet me back here.”

“Huh? Oh, I mean okay?,” Ichigo stumbled out, clearly confused, “But what are you doing?”

“It’s a secret,” she said a little smugly. “Don’t worry, you’ll like it, now just go!” she said as she nudged Ichigo. Ichigo glanced at Goro and he shrugged and started towards the old room. She glanced back and gave Zero-two a questioning glance but went with him leaving only her Darling with her.

He looked at her curiously, “So, what do you have planned? Is it something-” she interrupts him by putting a finger on with lips.

“It's a secret to you too, just go with them.” She was going to leave it at that, but she was never one to waste an opportunity. She traced his jawbone with her finger then cradled the back of his head all while using her other arm to pull him flush against her. She leaned in like she was going to kiss him before, just at the last second, dodging to the side so she could whisper lowly into his ear, “Don’t worry, Darling, we’ll have plenty of time alone later. I’ve missed you and I want to remind you that I and only I am your partner.”

He immediately stiffened and jolted back, she did let him go so she could see his face, a bright blush spreading over him, and stumbled back and over these words before he managed to gain his composition, or at least as much as he could and shot her an accusatory glance. She just gave him the most innocent smile she managed before breaking out into laughter. And pivoting around and starting up the stairs. She glanced back at her Darling to see that he had broken out into a smile too and shook his head before going to follow Ichigo and Goro.

Zero-two went on her way, first stopping in Goro’s room to grab his sleepwear, the easiest because she knew it would be empty as only him and her Darling used to share it and because it was the opposite side of the dorm to where she would go next. The next stop was Ichigo’s room, she peaked in first and saw the Ikuno wasn't there for some reason- which was odd as when usually kept to herself, but she supposed she could be in the library or even with the other pistils after what had happened- but either way she did the same. After she took the familiar trek up to their room and took her and her Darling's sleepwear, although she hoped they wouldn't have to use them tonight.

After she finished her collection she made her way back down to the lobby and sat on the stairs, waiting for them. She supposed she could go after them and see if they needed help, but she really wanted to try to forget about the Nines. She knew that she wouldn't be able to ignore them for long, especially with how Alpha and Delta had always had the strongest personalities out of them all despite their current states, but for now, she would indulge herself.

It didn’t take long for the three of them to come back but another had joined them- Ikuno. Zero-two tilted her head in curiosity and Ikuno picked up, “I was worried about them, having to go out alone when the elite squad had struggled. I wanted to know if they were okay.”

Ikuno was standing right next to Ichigo, and the little glance she stole before quickly averting her eyes told Zero-two it all- she had been specifically worried and waiting for Ichigo. But she wouldn’t say anything, Ikuno would on her own time. It wasn’t just her who had secrets. Those parasites' emotions really were a tangled mess, but really, back then she hadn’t been any better. At the very least her plans might spice things up.

“You’re always so sweet, Ikuno. You’re always looking out for us,” Ichigo responded with a smile, causing Ikuno to turn away and mutter a thanks. Impressively, she was able to only blush slightly despite how flustered she was. Ichigo was unaware, turning back to her, “So Zero-two what did you want to tell us earlier?”

“Well, I had a craving for a bath for a while, so I thought we could together!” Zero-two said as cheerful as she could before looking away, and changing her tone to bashful, “Unless you’d rather not…”

“No, no!” Ichigo immediately responded shaking her head and smiled, “that would be lovely, I need to clean up anyways, especially considering I didn’t have time to change out of my parasite suit.”

Her plan was working perfectly, Ichigo was on board, she just had to sneak the others in, but first, Ikuno. “And of course Ikuno you’ll be joining us, right?” She said shifting over to throw her arm over Ikuno’s shoulders before near whispering, “I’m sure Ichigo would enjoy your company as well.”

Ikuno immensely stiffed but she knew she got her. “Um, oh- yes, I’d loved to join.”

“Good, good! Well, no use waiting around,” Zero-two said as she started to push them, Ikuno glanced questioningly at Ichigo who just shrugged and they started on their way. With them in front of her, she could focus. Just as the girls were opening the door to the bath and were going to go it she glanced back and the boys were only a few steps up the stairs she smirked to herself, this was when it was going to get fun. “And where do you think you’re going?”

Her Darling turned around, “Upstairs? I’ll wait for you in our room.”

“Aren’t you coming with us?” Zero-two said as innocently as she could while quickly moving and grabbing her Darling’s and Goro’s wrists, pulling them down the stairs.

Ichigo and Ikuno both immediately spun around, but Ichigo gained her composure enough to speak first, “A-Absolutely not! Boys are girls bathe separately, that’s the rules.”

“Zero-two, maybe the rules were...different for you in the past, but we are supposed to be separate,” Ikuno agreed.

“I really don’t fancy being assaulted by toiletries again,” Goro joked rubbing the back of his head, but he couldn’t hide the slight blush that spread over his cheeks and the bridge of his nose.

“What’s the big deal, we’re all squadmates aren’t we. Beside, Darling and I have seen each other lots and lots before. Isn’t that right, Darling,” she purred out the last part.

“Z-Zero-two!” her Darling managed choked out, not able to meet her eyes and even more flustered that when she had caught him near the lake. “That's, that’s different!” 

She giggled at his reaction, but of all of them, Ichigo’s had to most entertaining. She turned bright as a strawberry with her eyes widening before she snapped her head to the floor. But she turned her attention back to convincing them all, “But really, it could be a bonding activity. Besides I want to spend more time with you all.” That last part was genuine, she really did want to know them all better, be part of their Squad more than in just name.

It seemed like Ichigo caught her tone and sighed, “w-well I supposed it wouldn’t do any harm.”

“Ichigo, are you sure?” Ikuno said quietly, with that soft concern she only saved for her. "You don't have to force yourself."

“It's okay, but you don’t have to stay, Ichigo said softly, knowing that Ikuno could be shy. "I understand if you don’t want to,” 

“No, if you’re okay with this, then...then I am too. Or will to try.”

Ichigo squeezed her shoulder and smiled but then turned to Goro, “Are you onboard?”

“Uh well,” Goro paused and then laughed, “well, we are partners after all- we’ve been in each other's minds before. And like Zero-two said we’re squadmates.”

“Darling, is this okay?” Zero-two sided him in all seriousness, she was having fun playing games, but she never wanted to actually force him to do something he didn’t want.

“Well it's not something I would have thought of before but I always have done new things with you all, so why not?”

“Great! Let’s go no use waiting around!”

“Wait!” Ichigo called out, “Let’s change in turns, Hiro and Goro will go first and we will.”

“I would be much more comfortable with that,” Ikuno said quietly.

“And turn around before we give you the okay,” Ichigo ordered.

“Yes, leader, well come on then, Hiro.”

“Alright, alright. Eager, aren’t you, Goro?” her Darling teased. At that Goro pretend punched him but they both chuckled and disappeared into the changing room. It was only a minute before Goro called out to them.

She went in first while Ikuno and Ichigo followed, and were a little hesitant when they started to undress but followed her when she entered the actual bath. As promised, the boys were turned around giving her the perfect opportunity. She jumped in and landed behind her Darling, who let out a surprised little yelp when she splashed him. When he turned around she continued and he joined in, leaving them both laughing. She leaned back to kick water at him and also so she could if Ichigo and Ikuno had gotten in. Seeing that they had she dived under the shallow water and snatched Ichigo’s legs pulling her under for a moment. When Zero-two popped back up, Ichigo was drenched and gave her an overdramatic gaze before she broke out into a smile. She reached beside her and grabbed a basin, scooping water throwing it directly at Zero-two- giving her a smug triumph look. In the corner of her eye, she saw that her Darling was playfully wrestling with Goro. She started to turn around to join them, but she was hit with another huge dump of water, when she looked back she expected Ichigo but it was no other than Ikuno, who had joined in with Ichigo’s encouragement. Eventually, all of their positions changed and both the boys and girls were going after each other. Any notions of actually washing were thrown out the window and the awkwardness between them faded away. 

Surprisingly out of all of them, Ikuno laughed the most. She was smiling and playing, it was so unlike her usual demeanor but when partnered with Ichigo’s encouragement and playfulness- she seemed to feel more comfortable. It was nice, she really did like the girl and hoped their work on her picture and now this would let them be closer.

They laughed and played and they were able to forget for fleeting moments of what had happened and what was to come. They had been forced to grow up far too fast, but for now, they didn’t have to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the trigger warning: Zero-two is worried about her Darling, Ichigo, and Goro she had also began to read the files she stole but they upsetted her greatly. In her room, everything reminded her of her Darling and she had to escape. She ends up by the lake and her refection turns into the klaxosaur princess who degrades her for wanting to be human and believing Hiro is her's
> 
> Instead of 15 minutes late with Starbucks it is a month late with a chapter. I am very sorry about the updating schedule, I got a new job and I struggled hard to manage my time with school and work but I'm getting better at it.
> 
> In terms of Hiro's franxx, Salvia, I image she is hard to visualize just with words. Melzious generously offered to draw her for me. They did a wonderful job adapting the drawing I gave them [I'm far from an artist]. https://melzious.tumblr.com/post/190813909276/show-chapter-archive
> 
> As a thank you for sticking around even with my bad schedule and just still being in the ditf fandom after all this time, I am going to do a raffle. the three winners will be picked through a random generator and get to ask for a scenario or character interaction or etc. involving ditf's cannon or in rampages's universe. If there is three or less people interested, all will receive. The writings will in the ballpark of 5000 give or take. To enter you can leave a comment, message me on tumble [offical-kamile] or contact or tag me on twitter [primary-glitch]. Honestly if you're interest you will most likely get it I think I only have like two active readers.
> 
> Somethings to look forward to in the next two to three chapters: APE finally being introduced, Hiro's first connection in Salvia, Mitsuru's and Kokoro's wedding, character development between these character pairs: Futoshi Ikuno, Miku Zorome, Hiro Goro, Kokoro Zero-two, Hiro Mitsuru, Ikuno Ichigo, and lastly Zero-two and Hiro putting together information about the empress/klaxosaur princess
> 
> Also I did write the entire Code:001 and Code:016 documents and I will consider fully releasing them if anyone is interested. Bits and pieces will be spread out thought out the story but if there is interest I consider releasing them in the form of a companion fic.


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